Bathurst Hospital Redevelopment

Overview

Tika EQ was engaged by Billard Leece Partnership (BLP) as the Connecting with Country consultants for the Bathurst Hospital Redevelopment, a $200 million health-infrastructure project on Wiradjuri Country in Central West NSW. This major redevelopment will deliver a contemporary healthcare facility designed to meet regional health needs while reflecting the cultural identity and environmental character of Wiradjuri Country. The project is guided by the NSW Government’s Connecting with Country Framework and Designing with Country principles, ensuring that health environments can heal, connect, and belong; not just function.

Approach & Process

Working alongside the design team at BLP, we provided cultural design advice, consultation guidance, and conceptual direction to ensure Wiradjuri values were embedded across architecture, interiors, and landscape design.

Our approach included:

• Collaboration with BLP and Health Infrastructure NSW to understand the local ecological and cultural landscape; its rivers, woodlands, skies, and seasonal rhythms.
• Guidance on community engagement and consultation with Wiradjuri representatives, ensuring cultural safety and the integration of Aboriginal voices throughout design stages.
• Contribution to the Art in Health Strategy and interpretive planning, ensuring art and storytelling reflect Country, care, and connection.
• Advising on materiality and sensory design decisions to support both cultural authenticity and patient wellbeing.

Materiality & Healing through Design

A key focus of our Connecting with Country input was on materiality; how built form can hold, reflect, and support Country.
Our work guided the selection of natural, regionally appropriate materials to promote healing, calm, and familiarity within clinical settings.

This included:

• Locally sourced stone and timber that echo the tones and textures of the Bathurst landscape, grounding patients and visitors in the natural environment.
• Soft, tactile materials and finishes chosen to create warmth, reduce clinical sterility, and evoke the sensory qualities of Country.
• Natural light, air, and colour palettes inspired by Wiradjuri Country’s woodland hues and open skies, fostering psychological comfort and a sense of orientation.
• Landscape integration through courtyards and views that connect patients and staff to nature, reinforcing evidence-based links between connection to Country and improved recovery outcomes.

These material and spatial decisions not only respect cultural values but also enhance wellbeing, reduce anxiety, and support holistic models of care, aligning with growing global recognition of the link between environment, culture, and health outcomes.

Key Outcomes & Cultural Design Considerations

• Embedding of Wiradjuri cultural narratives into the architecture, interior design, and art strategy.
• Culturally safe spaces that welcome and support Aboriginal patients and families.
• A design philosophy that treats Country as an active participant in healing, not a backdrop.
• Inclusion of Wiradjuri language, storytelling, and ecological references within the built environment.
• Long-term pathways for community engagement, cultural programming, and local artistic contribution.

Legacy & Next Steps

The Bathurst Hospital Redevelopment demonstrates how Connecting with Country principles can shape the future of healthcare design in regional NSW, creating facilities that heal both people and place.

Through partnership with Tika EQ, Billard Leece Partnership and Health Infrastructure NSW are setting a precedent for place-based, culturally grounded healthcare, where materials, light, landscape, and story work together to deliver care that is clinically excellent and culturally responsive.

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