St John of God Ballarat Hospital History Wall
Connecting a hospital’s past
with its future through design.
client
St John of God
Health Care
location
Ballarat
date
2025
As part of a major redevelopment at St John of God Ballarat Hospital, Creative Spaces was engaged to design a permanent history wall linking the original hospital building with a new medical services wing. The challenge was to honour more than a century of care while integrating interpretation into a contemporary clinical environment.
Founded in 1915 by the Sisters of St John of God, the hospital has deep roots in the Ballarat community. Creative Spaces developed a layered storytelling approach that combines archival imagery, text, colour and texture to guide visitors through key moments in the hospital’s evolution.
The 22-metre-long installation is carefully integrated into a busy circulation space, ensuring stories remain visible without disrupting day-to-day hospital operations. Design choices focused on clarity, durability and legibility, supporting both patients and staff moving through the space.
The completed history wall honours the hospital’s founding values of compassion, service and community. It provides a lasting interpretive feature that embeds heritage within a modern healthcare setting and reinforces a strong sense of continuity.
Photography by Dan Farrar
