Established in 1956, Box Hill Hospital is a highly regarded teaching and referral hospital with a reputation for excellence in providing acute services, as well as general health care. It admits upwards of 48,000 patients each year from the eastern suburbs of Melbourne.
A Radical Redevelopment
With demands on the hospital’s facilities ever increasing, Eastern Health and the Victorian Department of Health decided that a radical redevelopment program was needed to maintain Box Hill’s world-class clinical services. The program set in motion Victoria’s largest suburban health infrastructure project and saw the creation of a new, ten-storey facility to the existing Box Hill site.
As a preferred services provider to the hospital with two decades’ experience of improving the existing facility, we were involved from the outset of the project to create the new, 52,000m 2 unit. The aim was to create a wholly fit-for-purpose facility that would house all Box Hill’s acute services under one roof, enabling staff to move quickly across the diverse areas involved in the delivery of emergency care. In addition to providing readily accessible acute care, the client wanted an efficient, high performance building that minimised its impact on the environment.
Sustainable Initiatives
Our approach was to integrate sustainable initiatives into both the structure and finer details of the building. For example, energy efficiency gains are made with the use of combined cooling heat power (CCHP). Four layers of glazing provides enhanced insulation, and automated blinds provide protection from the sun.
New energy efficient backup generators are able to provide 100 per cent backup power to the clinical facility, if required. Rainwater is harvested for use as ‘grey water’ and waste water from renal reverse osmosis dialysis plant water is recycled.
These measures have not only minimised the building’s carbon footprint, but reduced operational costs through reduced energy and water consumption. Importantly, the well-ventilated facility means a comfortable environment for patients and staff, and helps to reduce the risk of hospital-acquired infections.
Increased Bed Capacity
The new facility at Box Hill Hospital offers a significant extension to the original facilities. It has increased the hospital’s capacity by more than 200 beds to 621, added a larger, more efficient emergency department, as well as a new 18-bed intensive care unit (excluding 2 shells) and ten new operating theatres, with an 11th available for future expansion.
Key Achievements
We have been involved in all phases of this redevelopment. We provided all the building engineering services, beginning with the preparation of a master plan and feasibility study, completed in December 2005. This was the stepping stone for the redevelopment. We are proud to have been involved in such a significant state project that will leave a positive legacy.
The hospital has achieved a 4-Star Green Star office design rating for the Box Hill Hospital Spring Street Office Building.
