COMPANY
PROJECT LOCATION
COUNTRY
AREA
COST
BUILDING TYPE
CONSTRUCTION
PERIOD OF INVOLVEMENT
NBRS ARCHITECTURE
Westmead Mother and Baby Unit, Redbank House, Building D, Dragonfly Drive, Westmead 2145
Gadigal/Bidjigal people of the Eora Nation
2400sqm
$8 Million
Mental Health Unit
Type B; masonry, internal partitions, metal roofing
2022-2023
The Westmead Hospital Mother and Baby Unit is a purpose-built facility designed to provide holistic, multidisciplinary mental health care for parents and their infants. Located within Redbank House on the Westmead Hospital campus, the unit offers eight inpatient rooms and operates around the clock, seven days a week.
The MBU supports parents experiencing significant mental health challenges during the perinatal period — before, during, and after birth — while enabling them to remain the primary caregivers for their babies up to 12 months old. The design facilitates shared admission for parent and infant, fostering secure attachment and minimising the trauma of separation.
Care spaces have been thoughtfully planned to encourage calm, connection, and inclusion. Comfortable overnight accommodation invites partners or alternative support persons to participate in caregiving, strengthening family bonds and promoting recovery within a supportive environment. The architecture balances clinical functionality with a domestic warmth, reflecting a trauma-informed and culturally sensitive approach that recognises the importance of both emotional wellbeing and physical space in healing.
Architecture Design Intent
The new Mother and Baby Unit celebrates the warmth and familiarity of the existing “Nuts and Berries” Sydney School architecture. Its sandstone-toned brickwork, dark tiled roof and eucalyptus-grey timber details are carefully retained and enhanced to create a seamless blend of old and new. The design focuses on creating spaces that feel open, safe and welcoming — filled with natural light and soft materials that encourage calm and connection. Every detail supports recovery and bonding, offering parents and infants a peaceful, home-like environment within a contemporary healthcare setting.
Interior Design Intent
Inside, the atmosphere is soft, warm and human-centred. A neutral, layered palette paired with natural textures creates a soothing backdrop for daily life. Spaces feel open and connected, yet provide intimate areas for privacy and reflection. Gentle curves, calming light and tactile finishes make the interiors both safe and comforting. The design balances professional functionality with a relaxed, domestic quality, helping families feel at ease. Sustainable materials and low-VOC finishes ensure the spaces not only look calm but also promote physical and mental wellbeing.
Landscape Design Intent
The surrounding landscape extends the building’s sense of care and calm into nature. Designed as a series of therapeutic gardens, the outdoor areas offer places to rest, reflect and reconnect. Shaded seating, soft planting and sensory textures create an environment that feels restorative and alive. Paths weave between green spaces, inviting gentle movement and quiet retreat. Drawing on principles of biophilic and trauma-informed design, the landscape fosters wellbeing through connection to light, air and greenery — completing the unit’s vision of healing through both space and nature.
From Vision to Reality
From concept to completion, the Westmead Mother and Baby Unit reflects a thoughtful integration of architecture, interior, and landscape design. Each stage of the process was guided by a commitment to create spaces that are calm, restorative, and deeply human. Through careful detailing and material selection, the design intent has been realised in built form — a cohesive environment that supports wellbeing, fosters connection, and translates vision into tangible, enduring spaces.
PHOTOS: ALEXANDER MAYES PHOTOGRAPHY