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Renowned for its coastal setting and natural beauty, Queensland’s Sunshine Coast has the perfect qualities to be a healing environment for a hospital. With unprecedented growth and changing demographics in the broader region, the Sunshine Coast University Hospital was brought to life by the Queensland Government as part of a Public Private Partnership contract with Exemplar Health, a consortium of Lendlease, Siemens and Capella Capital, with Aurecon and Spotless.
Opened to the public in April 2017, the complex features a state-of-the-art health facility and teaching hospital comprised originally of 450 beds which increased to 738 beds in 2021, but with more room to expand further.
The 164,000 m2 main hospital building forms the centre of the new hospital, and is split over six functional levels, plus rooftop plant rooms and a helipad.
Aurecon provided building services including civil, structural and mechanical/electrical/plumbing (MEP) engineering, and environmentally sustainable design (ESD). From successfully being awarded the project, through to detail design and documentation, and finally a full-time site-based role during construction, the hospital represents more than five years of hard work, dedication and passion from the Aurecon team.
Across the project, Aurecon, in partnership with our client Lendlease, employed digital technologies to drive a lean thinking approach, push project management efficiencies, utilise building information modelling (BIM) and deploy 3D design modelling to allow off-site fabrication of some services areas.
Aurecon was mindful of delivering an engineering design that would create a healthcare facility that connects with, and enhances, the local community through its accessibility and role as a place of healing in a natural setting.
Physical and mental health and well-being is enhanced by seamlessly linking the indoor spaces with the outdoors. The design interweaves clinical spaces with open, landscaped courtyards, offering an abundance of spaces for respite, reflection, regeneration and inspiration to staff, medical students, patients and the public.
It has real human-centric design solutions that realise the architectural intent and provide spaces to ensure that modern medical services are provided for the local community.
The size of the Sunshine Coast University Hospital precinct covers the equivalent of approximately 20 international rugby football fields. With such a large and complex building to engineer, Aurecon embraced 3D design to add value to the design process.
Using Building Information Modelling (BIM), we created an interactive 3D model of the engineering design. This contributed to decision-making from the earliest conceptual stages, through to detailed design and then construction. It helped to facilitate greater efficiency, accuracy and predictability into the construction programme.
The visual nature of the interactive 3D model allowed for clearer communication with stakeholders, and a better understanding of the final design.
Corridors and engineering plantrooms traditionally take up a significant area in a hospital’s footprint, sometimes as much as 25 per cent.
The interactive nature of the 3D model allowed Aurecon to better tune the spaces, test different designs inside the building’s footprint, and confirm the exact space science to optimise the ratio of clinical versus non-clinical spaces. The result was more space for patients, medical equipment and consulting rooms for clinicians.
An operating room in the Sunshine Coast University Hospital. Image courtesy of Lendlease Building.
The way digital engineering harnesses imagination and manages multidimensional challenges was powerfully evident when the project team used 3D printing technology to visualise the project’s modular risers. Due to the project’s complex and tight construction timeframe, having modular building components prefabricated off-site optimised the overall construction schedule.
It was determined that the risers that house some of the main building services may be prefabricated off-site and craned into position. The 3D printing process was important to ensure each riser would accurately fit into place on-site after prefabrication, and to ensure the 20 risers could be standardised in their design and function.
A modular riser is the structure that houses some of the main building services and there were 20 required at the hospital. To make sure the design and size of the risers could be prefabricated and then slot accurately into position on site when required, Aurecon commissioned the 3D print to present to stakeholders in design review meetings. This was a powerful way to obtain feedback and design reviews from stakeholders prior to manufacturing.
Sunshine Coast University Hospital has had a positive social impact on the local community and users of the precinct. With Aurecon’s history of engineering the design of healthcare facilities, we were able to positively contribute to a project that reimagines patient comfort and services, together with sustainability and technology, to support future generations.
The successful design and delivery of the hospital is a case study in future hospital building construction. It demonstrates that integrating and utilising digital design tools, paired with an innovative approach to project delivery and supply chain parameters, creates a powerful model for managing construction and design.
The project has won the following awards:
Aurecon provided program and project management services to Queensland Health for one of the largest public health projects ever undertaken in Australia.
Aurecon reinvigorates delivery phase of project by inviting staff and community to co-design the project management and stakeholder engagement program.
Aurecon developed a Strategic Asset Management Plan Framework for Queensland Health to improve health services.
