The New Footscray Hospital uses interior design as a primary spatial organiser, shaping light, movement and orientation to create a calm, legible and welcoming public environment. Designed to invite dynamic inhabitation, the interiors support wellbeing and dignity, allowing everyday hospital life to unfold naturally within a complex healthcare setting.

Serving Melbourne’s culturally diverse west – a region shaped by First Nations custodianship and successive waves of migration – the hospital sought to deliver not only clinical excellence but a sense of belonging and cultural continuity.

The campus is organised as five interconnected buildings arranged around a welcoming Village Green, establishing a clear and intuitive centre that encourages movement and connection. This spatial framework informs interiors that moves beyond conventional hospital aesthetics, integrating natural light, landscape views and warm, tactile materials. Timber finishes and glazed mosaic tiles provide familiarity and clarity, supporting intuitive wayfinding while fostering a calm and restorative atmosphere.

Interior design and commissioned artworks are integrated to create a cohesive spatial experience, including the striking Welcome to Country tapestry, woven at the Australian Tapestry Workshop and designed by artists Maree Clarke and Mitch Mahoney, which now spans two storeys in the hospital entry.

Photography: Peter Bennetts