Canberra Hospital's all-electric building to open soon

The new Critical Services Building at the Canberra Hospital is set to open soon with global construction company Multiplex completing the expansion project.

Located at 77 Yamba Drive in Garran, the eight-storey Critical Services Building provides a total of 45,000 square metres of purpose-built healthcare space and will see many acute care services located across the campus moving into the one building.

The new building includes: a new Emergency Department, with a dedicated children’s emergency area, expanded Fast Track and new Behavioural Assessment Unit; an expanded intensive care unit; perioperative services, including 22 operating theatres, which have been equipped with a range of advanced technologies; extra treatment spaces, including an expanded coronary care unit and Cardiac Catheterisation Laboratories; and an additional inpatient accommodation.

The completion of the new hospital building also delivers Australia’s first all-electric hospital building. The building will be powered by the ACT’s 100% renewable electricity, reducing its emissions impact by approximately 1886 tonnes of CO₂ every year.

ACT Minister for Health Rachel Stephen-Smith said, “The new Critical Services Building was thoughtfully co-designed with staff, consumers, carers and other stakeholders to create a modern health facility that is accessible and welcoming.

“Clinicians will have access to state-of-the-art equipment to support innovative models of care and deliver the best possible health care to their patients.”

With the new main entry and reception of Canberra Hospital open to the public, and sterilising services already operating in the building, the clinical services that will be moving include: emergency department; intensive care unit; operating theatres and day surgery admission; inpatient cardiology services and cardiac catheterisation labs; medical and surgical inpatient units; medical imaging; and helipad.

The new facility, designed by BVN to create an environment of healing and connection, is open and modern, with outdoor terraces and courtyards serving as family and visitor waiting areas, providing an elevated experience for all hospital users.

A key element of its design is its Welcome Hall, a public space connecting the new Critical Services Building with the existing campus and functioning as the hospital’s new main reception. This engaging hub is an inclusive space that was designed in collaboration with the community and honours First Nations peoples with artwork by local Indigenous artists, according to Multiplex.

It also features outdoor intensive care space including two sheltered terraces that have been designed and equipped to support medical equipment, allowing patients and families to use the outdoor area while visiting and receiving care.

Driven by sustainability, the Canberra Hospital Expansion building has a 5 Star Green Star design rating. Notable sustainability features of the industry-leading design include 21 massive heat pumps that have replaced traditional gas boilers to heat the building’s water, solar shading and a high-performing facade glazing of thermally broken double-glazed units to minimise the cooling required in summer and heating required in winter, said Multiplex in a statement. There is also energy-efficient and intelligent heating, ventilation and cooling systems, a holistic building management and control system that monitors and controls all systems in the building and recycled water used for landscaping and irrigation.

Multiplex also minimised carbon throughout the build by using electrified cranes, locally sourcing a low-carbon concrete mix for the structure and repurposing or salvaging 96% of the materials during the demolition of the previous buildings, the company said.

David Ghannoum, Multiplex Regional Managing Director for NSW and the ACT, said, “We are delighted to hand over this world-class health facility that will cater to the growing needs of the local community. It truly embodies innovation and cutting-edge sustainability, drawing upon our expertise in the medical and healthcare sector.”

The constrained site posed a challenge to construction — surrounded by existing hospital infrastructure, residential roads and the private hospital and university buildings. Multiplex strategically managed the site, working hard to minimise impacts on the operation of the existing hospitals, the nearby Garran Primary School and local residents.

According to Multiplex, construction of the Canberra Hospital Expansion spanned a three-year period with 4000 people working on site and a combined total of 1.7 million hours of labour.

More than 40 people were employed through Multiplex’s Connectivity Centre, a hub to provide employment, training and job support services for local job seekers and connect them with employment opportunities onsite.

Some 52,000 cubic metres of material was excavated on the site, with 145 building piles and 20,000 cubic metres of reinforced concrete used in the new building — along with seven kilometres of plant room ductwork.

Multiplex has delivered hospitals and healthcare facilities across Australia and is currently completing more than $5bn in health projects nationally. In NSW these include the John Hunter Health and Innovation Precinct in the Hunter Region and the Eurobodalla Regional Hospital on the NSW South Coast, and in Victoria, the new Footscray Hospital.

Image credit: Tom Roe. Images courtesy of Multiplex.