PROJECT FILES: Designers, researchers and people with lived experience of mental health challenges have transformed a derelict arcade into biophilic spaces that play an active role in healing.
When the Royal Commission into Victoria’s Mental Health System set out its ambitious vision for reform four years ago, it called for an end to the design of services and facilities for people with mental health challenges and ushered in a new era of co-design with them.
The Central Geelong Mental Health Hub is one of the first facilities co-designed around biophilic principles with clinicians and people with lived experience in response to these recommendations. It transforms a dark, internalised arcade into five levels of co-located mental health services and a biophilic environment of light-filled spaces, open sightlines, welcoming entry-points and intuitive flow. It’s a striking alternative to traditional mental health environments, which evidence shows can hinder healing.
A finalist in the Living Future Institute of Australia’s 2025 Biophilic Design Awards, the project is the result of a unique collaboration between Barwon Health, ClarkeHopkinsClarke Architects and Deakin University. It brings together previously disconnected services and features community engagement, including First Nations cultural perspectives, co-design that embeds lived experience, and world-first research by Associate Professor Phillip Roös, Lana van Galen and their team at Deakin University’s School of Architecture.
“By co-locating multiple previously fragmented services into a modern, consumer-co-designed facility, the Central Geelong Mental Health Hub is redefining the way support is accessed and experienced in the region,” says Jacob Beard, Director of Capital Works at Barwon Health. “Through a biophilic approach incorporating natural light, greenery and organic materials, the spaces are intentionally crafted to reduce anxiety, enhance wellbeing, and create a sense of calm and safety for both consumers and staff.
“The Hub is a powerful testament to architecture that extends beyond built form to drive social change. The physical environment is no longer a barrier to care but an active participant in the healing process.” He says the results are enhancing wellbeing for consumers as well as the staff who support them.
“This facility not only sets a new standard of care for consumers but promotes a healthy work environment for our staff,” Jacob adds. “By embracing biophilic design, sustainability and innovation, it sets a new benchmark for mental health infrastructure that prioritises dignity, accessibility and empowerment.”
The trauma-informed design integrates a world-first Biophilic Design Framework developed through an innovative research program established between Barwon Health and Deakin University.
Jacob says biophilic design “enhances our sense of space and time”. “This project weaves nature into every element, from the soft curves of biomorphic forms to the changing interplay of natural light and shadows.”
The design concept reflects the Earth and its systems and cycles. At ground level, which includes entry, triage and high-risk spaces, grounding tree elements and a warm, earthy material palette provide a sense of grounding, calm and comforting awe. Moving up into consumer spaces on levels 1 and 2, more greenery references the movement of grass and leaves as users move through the next steps in their journey.
On levels 4 and 5, staff spaces reference the foundational palette but feel quite separate from consumer spaces. Winding circulation spaces and pops of blue referencing the nearby Barwon River create a sense of relaxation and refuge.
Spatial planning enhances agency, offering spaces for social connection and quiet retreat in acoustically treated nooks, greenery-framed seating zones, and open collaborative areas. Seating is positioned for views to the outdoors, where greenery and external landmarks such as murals and sculptural elements aid orientation.
Seamless transitions from welcoming triage areas to private therapy rooms were achieved through adaptable layouts, varied seating options, and intuitive wayfinding. This is reinforced by consistent, flowing materiality, layered design strategies, and key visual cues such as large-scale timber tree sculptures.
Key design elements that actively contribute to the healing journey include:
- Biophilic principles are embedded to enhance the perception of temporal and spatial pleasure. These incorporate biomorphic and nature-inspired forms as well as direct and indirect connections to nature such as trees, water, plants and gardens.
- Curved and rounded corners and edges soften hard transitions and integrate biomorphic patterns throughout the space.
- Tree sculptures with integrated with LED lights mimic natural conditions using changing intensities of light and shadow.
- Material connections with nature, including exposed timber and timber finishes, add warmth and tactility.
- A full-height green wall enhances views and provides direct access to natural elements. This improves design coherence and fosters a healing environment.
- At the end of each corridor is a retreat space which provides refuge from the main flow of activity and enhances the sense of safety for consumers.
- Acoustic partitions with organic patterns provide privacy and act as sound buffers without compromising the quality of the indoor working space.
- Shadows cast on curved corners that change over time contribute to a quiet, calming, relaxing environment.
Sustainability is central. Situated within an adaptive reuse site, The Hub reimagines traditional clinical finishes and incorporates natural, durable materials meeting infection-control and anti-ligature standards.
Lived-experience insights allowed a particularly nuanced application of biophilic principles that reflect the needs and aspirations of its community. Co-design shaped every aspect of the project, refining the brief and guiding material choices. Feedback centred on how the spaces should look and feel based on lived experience.
Our original design concept for a calming mental health space was Scandinavian-inspired, using light colours and timbers. We learned early on that the co-design group wasn’t looking for that, or the typical mental health aesthetic. No white, no pale green. Instead, they embraced bold, deeper colours, layered patterns, textures and materials because that felt more like their community.
Even colours, shapes and patterns regularly used in biophilic interiors designed for nature connection and wellbeing can inadvertently trigger negative associations. Designers worked with local artist Nicola Cerrini to develop wallpaper and graphic film that imbued spaces with nuanced references to natural flora and fauna.
We learned what a nuanced approach to colour, patterning and degrees of abstraction looked like for this group. Connecting the interior environment to the natural environment was really important to them, but we had to avoid anything too abstract or hyper-realistic and create beautiful, semi-abstract touch points throughout the spaces to add to the overall design.
Key sustainable materials:
- SUPAWOOD Feature Ceiling Canopy: Wave blade custom sculptured ceiling, 18mm MR MDF with Supafinish Tas Oak Concept Veneer on both faces.
- Armstrong Ceiling Solutions Heradesign Superfine Wood Wool: natural finish, fixed to suspended ceilings.
- Sculptform Free Standing Timber Screen Dowels: Dome 50mm in White Oak, finished in clear oil.
