Children’s Hospital At Westmead Installs A Concrete Labyrinth

 

This complex decorative concrete labyrinth pattern at the Children’s Hospital at Westmead, in Sydney, NSW is 12.885 meters in diameter and was created in just a few days with Elite Crete Systems decorative concrete products and overlays.

The broom finished concrete was cleaned and then prepared with plastic sheeting and masking tape in order to expose the portions shown in the black and white drawing of the unicursal design. After the area (150 square meters) was masked and taped off, THIN-FINISH™, a hybrid polymer modified concrete overlay system was mixed and integrally coloured with PORTION CONTROL COLORANT™ Terra Cotta. The consistency of this particular batch of THIN-FINISH™ had a low slump and was applied by magic trowel. As soon as the concrete overlay began to setup, the masking tape was pulled to reveal perfect lines (the majority of the passage lines on this complex design are 75mm wide). The following day CSS Emulsion™, a concentrated concrete sealer, was applied in two coats to ensure easy cleaning for this high traffic concrete labyrinth.

The majority of the work on this particular project was in the preparation of the concrete and masking the complex design of the labyrinth. The actual application of THIN-FINISH™, the concrete overlay, was accomplished in just four hours time. The following day the project was completed, protected and sealed with CSS Emulsion™.

Labyrinths date back to the ancient Greeks. A labyrinth is a series of complex passages that, unlike a maze, do not offer alternative routes but rather lead to and from the centre of the labyrinth. It is said that a labyrinth is a pathway to inner healing and are proactive in the healing and wellbeing of patients as well as doctors, nurses, caregivers, family and friends. With an increase in the holistic approach to recovery and wellbeing, labyrinths have found a resurgence and are becoming a more common fixture in hospitals around the world.

The project for the Children’s Hospital at Westmead has been 11 years in the making and is also the first Hospital in Australia to have installed a labyrinth. The actual installation was overseen by Robert Ferre, a renowned labyrinth expert who travelled from the United States to donate his time and knowledge in this field in order to leave behind the tools for future installations of concrete labyrinths throughout Australia.