Having previously waxed lyrical about the Royal Children’s Hospital and its architecture …I’ve just had a very ‘close up experience’ from a week inside the hospital caring for my son.
I’m sure there are easier ways to get glimpses of this great building, but the only way to understand the function of the design is to be a full-time carer on the inside.
Like a great organism of healing, the arms of the interior stretch out calmly to embrace the outside. There are very few right angles anywhere – there is a flow and gentleness to the environment which rests and reassures.
It’s never good to have a sick child but if something serious happens to anyone you love, this is surely the best hospital for them to be.
I’m sure my lad will continue to do well after his surgery, but many carers and children I met are have a really challenging time.
I wish all the people working at the RCH and all the families in their care a great Easter and hope the Good Friday Appeal reaps even more donations to keep this wonderful institution alive.
Chas Spain 
I wish you and your son a speedy exit from the hospital, but I am glad to hear how successful, as an environment for the sick and those caring for them, you found it.
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Thanks so much Hilary – we are having small wins and then slight down patches. I tried to substitute some painkillers for easter eggs today but that didn’t go so well! Hope you’re having a lovely Easter and looking forward to the joys of spring there.
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hospitals are very humbling experiences and repositories for great sadness and strength – hope your son continues to flourish – at least RCH looks better suited to the task than many others still in operation many thanks to all the staff that continue to work in what must be difficult circumstances. good luck.
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Thanks so much Veronica – have a great Easter – hope your art is going well
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Thanks I hope you can as well
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Warmest wishes for your son’s recovery. Hospitals are not places we seek out as a rule but invariably the staff do a wonderful job. If they also offer a good environment for the sick and the carers, so much the better. I particularly like the galahs. The colours are also very soothing. Let’s hope its a one-off for you.
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Thanks so much Andrew. Each floor of the hospital has a different environmental theme – starting from underground & the sea to beaches, through grasslands, woodland (where we were with the galahs) to the sky. It is so beautifully realised and playful.
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I hope your son will soon be well.
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Thanks so much Jessica – he is doing well – every day is a bit better.
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Oh – I am so sorry you had to get to see the RCH from the inside and I hope your son is doing well. Your pictures portray a very well designed outdoor green space and I am sure that the gardens and playground are appreciated by the the little visitors and their companions.
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Thanks so much – he’s doing really well. Being able to look out onto the playgrounds and see families out on the grass is just lovely when you’re going through a bit of an emotional time!
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