Texas Children's Hospital's Award-Winning Terrazzo Design
A magnificent multicolored waterfall flows down the grand staircase in the main concourse of the Texas Children’s Hospital’s North Campus in Austin. To welcome visitors, 18 waterjet-cut zinc animals are layered into their natural environments, represented by organic, abstract patterns inspired by the paths that water cuts through limestone. Paw prints in the terrazzo floor lead the way through the facility. These “moments of delight” are built permanently into the award-winning floor, reinforcing the hospital’s mission of “Putting Patients First,” said a representative of Page Architects of Austin, who led the design of the 52-bed hospital.

“We are incredibly proud to see our hospital included in the National Terrazzo & Mosaic Association’s 2024 Honor Awards,” said Russ Williams, Senior Vice President of Texas Children’s Austin campus, which opened in February 2024. “The beautiful terrazzo floor and waterfall staircase are part of a Central Texas theme woven throughout the building and designed to create a calm, uplifting atmosphere for our patients. Because of them, it doesn’t feel like you’re in a hospital, which is a huge comfort for children.”
Terrazzo floor patterns and wall base complement the architectural curves and columns, while its nonporous durability and seamless finish facilitate a healthy, antiseptic environment. Incorporating glass, mother-of-pearl, and marble aggregate chips and zinc divider strips, the 20,000-square-foot epoxy terrazzo floor in six colors was hand-crafted and poured in place. The seamless monumental terrazzo staircase in the lobby was formed from precast terrazzo elements.
“This first level, the most highly trafficked, benefited from terrazzo’s ease of maintenance and durability, and the design team was excited by the endless creative possibilities that the material’s fluidity allows,” the Page Architects representative noted. “A classic building material, terrazzo was the obvious choice for the two-level main concourse flooring.”