A new consortium has been appointed to lead the design works for the main clinical building at the new Women’s and Children’s Hospital, as the project continues to make major progress on the Port Road site.
The architectural team – a consortium of Billard Leece Partnership (BLP), Bates Smart, Grieve Gillett Architects and Taylor Cullity Lethlean (TCL) – is a partnership bringing together national and South Australian firms, optimising their combined expertise to design the highly specialised new hospital.
This leading architectural group will be supported by the additional appointment of the consortium of Aurecon, LUCID Consulting Engineers and BR+A Consulting Engineers to lead building services engineering and the partnership of WGA and KBR to lead the structural and civil engineering design for the main clinical building.
The building engineering, structural and civil engineering professional services consultants are SA businesses – delivering significant local employment outcomes for South Australians.
The team will work together with the existing Design Management Team to develop the best option for the overall design for the new hospital to ensure it is well-equipped to meet future growth and deliver high quality healthcare.
Civil works are already well underway on the main hospital site to prepare the area ahead of the main build; and a new Central Design Office has also been completed this month which will accommodate up to 140 skilled workers throughout design and construction. The office will serve as a collaborative hub for key staff members onsite to continue to progress the project at pace.
The new team will also undertake Stage 2 interface works of the project, including the remaining precinct works connecting the car park and Port Road.
Stage 1 works including Port Road works, the first phase of precinct works, and the construction of the hospital’s 1,300 space car park are progressing as scheduled and will see multiple floors of the structure assembled by the end of the year.
A $427 million package of foundational works is also well underway with SA Water moving to the site last month. These critical underground services and substructure works include telecommunications and utilities progressing the preparation for the main hospital build and utility connectivity ahead of main site construction works.
The new hospital – due for completion in 2031 – will be shaped by the voices of children like 13-year-old Beau Dienelt and their families through consultation, focus groups and surveys, to ensure the needs of the community are at the forefront of the project.
Today, Beau and his mum Michelle were one of the first families to visit the new hospital site.
Beau, who was diagnosed with cystic fibrosis at six-days-old and cerebral palsy at 10-months, has been connected with the Women’s and Children’s Hospital his whole life after spending his first three months in hospital.
Cystic fibrosis is a genetic condition that damages the lungs, digestive tract and other organs while cerebral palsy is a group of conditions that affects movement and posture.
The teenager was thrilled to be able to see the new hospital site, where kids just like him will receive care in the future.
It comes amid continuing pressure on the South Australian health system, with ambulances spending 4,791 hours on the ramp in May – on par with last May and 13.5 per cent down from last July.
In May, ambulances reached 72.3 per cent of Priority 1 cases in the target timeframe of 8 minutes, compared to only 54.9 per cent in May 2022.
Ambulances reached 60 per cent of Priority 2 cases in the target 16-minute timeframe in May, compared to only 34.8 per cent in May 2022.
There are currently 243 elderly patients ready for discharge stuck in metro hospitals awaiting a Federal Government aged care bed.
Despite the sustained pressure, metro hospitals completed 4,131 elective surgeries in May – 500 more (a nearly 14 per cent increase) compared to the previous month.
Full ramping data – including a hospital-by-hospital breakdown – can be found here.
Quotes
Attributable to Chris Picton
We are getting on with the job of building a bigger and better new Women’s and Children’s Hospital for children just like 13-year-old Beau Dienelt.
I’m excited to be here alongside Beau and the new design team for the next phase of this important project.
The new hospital will have more beds, theatres, and greater emergency capacity, as well as the ability to expand in the future. Once complete, it will provide capacity for 414 overnight beds – 56 more than the existing hospital, as well as an onsite helipad.
This project is all about ensuring we can continue to provide the very best care for the women and children of South Australia well into the future.
Careful consideration is being given not just to building one of the most contemporary hospitals in Australia, but to understanding the future needs of our patients.
Attributable to SA Health Deputy Chief Executive Corporate and Infrastructure, Judith Formston
The design process will look at how the new WCH will be configured externally and internally and will determine the best way to integrate our new hospital with the Adelaide BioMed City.
The plan for the new WCH will be based on contemporary and emerging designs for women’s and children’s hospitals and will be informed by staff, patient, and stakeholder engagement.
These significant milestones continue the pathway for completion of a new Women’s and Children’s Hospital for South Australia by 2030/31.
Attributable to Tracy Lord, Project Director for nWCH and Principal, BLP
We are excited to contribute to this significant project shaping healthcare across South Australia. We’re excited to once again be working with Bates Smart and now with local architects GGA and landscape architects TCL.
We’re big believers in working collaboratively and we look forward to working with the entire team of consultants, Lendlease and stakeholders over the next five to six years.
We like to design by creating environments that combine clinical excellence with human centred spaces. We want to ensure the wellbeing of patients and their families and our healthcare professionals and clinicians.
