New outdoor spaces to create comfort and healing at Nepean Hospital

Featuring approximately 180 new trees and 23,000 shrubs and ground cover plants, the green spaces at Nepean Hospital are a key component of Stage 2 of Nepean Redevelopment which includes a new seven-storey hospital building. 

Adam Fitzpatrick, CPB Contractors Area Manager, who coordinated much of the construction and landscaping of the Nepean Redevelopment Stage 2, is excited to see the landscape plans come to life.

From welcoming entry gardens featuring sandstone blocks in a yarning circle and landscaped courtyards to sprawling outdoor terraces, the hospital’s outdoor spaces have been designed to support wellbeing and provide places for rest and connection.

Mr Fitzpatrick said he hoped the outdoor spaces provided a welcoming space for staff and patients.

"The vision for the outdoor spaces at Nepean Stage 2 has always been to create a healing landscape which responds to the needs of patients and staff, anchors the new building within the broader hospital campus, and actively enhances the local environment through extensive tree and garden bed planting," Mr Fitzpatrick said.

Whether it's a quiet moment alone, time spent with family, or a break between shifts for staff, the outdoor spaces have been designed to support a range of needs and experiences.

"The landscape is oriented around a variety of seating and gathering spaces which cater to varying groups of different sizes, as well as individuals," Mr Fitzpatrick said. 

To create thriving green spaces throughout the hospital campus, plant species were carefully selected to suit the greater Western Sydney climate as well as the different conditions across the campus.  

Shade-tolerant rainforest plants have been incorporated into courtyards and sheltered areas while more robust native species have been planted in areas which get the most sun exposure including on the outdoor terraces of the new palliative care unit on Level 7 of the new building.

During community and Aboriginal consultation, feedback included the incorporation of indigenous plants including medicinal varieties into the hospital’s landscape.  

The planting palette consisted entirely of native species including many indigenous plants coming from the local Cumberland Plain Woodland. A range of Aboriginal medicinal and food plants were also planted in gardens including Midgenberry, Chocolate Lily, Native Leek and Blue Flax Lily. The end result was the selection of more than 70 different varieties of trees, plants and shrubs.

Mr Fitzpatrick was part of the landscaping team which formed in 2022, along with James O’Dwyer of Tract Landscape Architects and Chris Giles of local Western Sydney landscapers, AYZ Landscapes and Civil Construction. The landscaping team worked closely with the architects and engineers and Nepean Hospital gardeners throughout the design and construction process to ensure the outdoor spaces aligned with the Nepean Blue Mountains Local Health District's vision.