The project began with a demanding design brief:

• Create a place to eat and relax
• Provide shelter from the rain
• Establish a green space
• Create opportunities to engage the community and volunteers
• Retain the existing paving
• Avoid the need for foundations
• Keep existing manholes accessible and uncovered
• Position all elements at least 1m from the building walls
• Respond to limited direct sunlight
• Maintain confidentiality for patients in adjacent wards and for staff using the garden
• Use planting that does not attract insects, pollinators, birds or rodents, and does not trigger allergic reactions
• Keep installation noise to a minimum

The resulting courtyard design offers a flexible arrangement in which almost every element can be moved. Planters are mounted on castor wheels and the furniture can be repositioned as needed, including over manholes while still allowing easy access when required. Only the central shelter remains in a more permanent location.

The planting scheme brings together ferns, bamboo, evergreen ground cover and small trees chosen for their varied textures and colours, gradually creating a restorative setting within the courtyard.