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Swanbury Penglase were engaged in November 2018 by Nexus Hospitals to undertake renovations and expansion of their existing Canberra Private Hospital in Building 2 of the Equinox Specialist Centre in the ACT.

The Hospital fully occupied two floors of the building including:

• Level 3 – Main public entry and clinical floor including three operating theatres, recovery and CSSD
• Level 2 – Ward rooms (twenty-six in total) and associated support facilities

The Hospital specialises in Orthopaedic surgery and therefore has a high theatre/ward bed ratio (in comparison to other Nexus facilities where the surgery mix varies).

The brief from Nexus was to provide an additional operating theatre to expand their Orthopaedic surgical capacity and provide greater flexibility to offer alternative surgery types. In addition, to support additional surgical capacity additional ward beds were also a fundamental requirement of the brief.

To facilitate the increased size and capacity, Nexus took over the lease of level 1 of the building to expand the hospital.

The design response was to:

• Construct a new Main Entry, Reception and administration area on level 1, shifting this function from level 3 and freeing up space on that level.
• Construct an additional twelve Ward Rooms with associated support facilities on level 1.
• Construct a fourth Operating Theatre on level 3 which required the complete reconstruction of one of the existing Operating Theatres.
• Reconfigure the support facilities on level 3 to increase capacity of Pre-operative Bays, Recovery Bays and Sterile Storage.

A key requirement for Nexus Hospitals was that the existing hospital facility continue to operate whilst construction works were undertaken. The initial construction stages involved the fit out of the expansion space on level 1 which allowed areas on level 3 to be progressively decanted and construction works to occur on the existing clinical floor.

The fitout of the new level 1 area provided the opportunity to introduce a warmer, more tactile, modern interior design and material palette to the new main public entrance to the hospital. Elements of this new materiality have been carried up to the Level 3 to non-clinical areas and have been integrated with the existing fitout in clinical areas creating a modern refresh to the existing facility on Level 3.

Construction is currently underway with the first stage completed. Construction is due for completion in May 2021.

In 2016, Swanbury Penglase was engaged to realise the vision for a new Private Hospital in Tasmania for the Fromnex Group, an investment partnership involving Nexus Hospitals, Australia’s leading network of private day and short stay hospitals.

The site is complex with an unusual shape, ten meters of fall across it, extensive imported contaminated fill and residential properties bordering the site on two sides. The site has commanding views on its western side of Mount Wellington and the Lenah Valley.

The new development consists of:

• A new private hospital including 7 operating theatres.
• An integrated sub-acute overnight stay hospital comprising 26 ward beds.
• Hospital support functions including recovery, CSSD, loading dock facilities, delivery and waste management and ambulance access.
• Two levels of basement car-parking including 229 carparks.
• Tenancy space including provision for a café, GP clinic, specialist consulting suites and pathology and radiology services.

The project has had a number of planning challenges:

• The majority of adjacent residential properties are sited below the new Hospital and the control of visual impact, overshadowing and overlooking has had to be balanced with access to the striking views the site offers.
• The challenging site levels have required careful design thinking to ensure access can be provided for the range of vehicles requiring access to the facility.
• The existing fill on the site is contaminated which has required extensive testing and analysis to determine its extent and impact on the design of the building.
• Operational restrictions around noise have also needed to be considered in planning the site and materiality while limiting impact on adjoining residences.

A Planning Application has been lodged with Hobart City Council and Approval is anticipated in early 2021. Construction is due to be completed at the end of 2022.

Riverbanks College is one of the two new Birth-Year 12 schools delivered simultaneously for the Department of Education under a PPP (Public Private Partnership) model.

A detailed briefing document (PSDR) was prepared by the Department for Education and specialist consultants, forming the basis for the Consortium design.

Each school campus would accommodate 1675 students (Early Years to Year 12), in a contemporary learning environment, with a STEM focus. Designed as a “Schools within Schools” model, the campus includes Early Years, Primary Years, Secondary Years with Inclusive Learning spaces embedded throughout.

With a focus on universal access and community ties, the design needed to deliver a civic presence and allow a high degree of visual and physical connectivity, facilitating the school’s role as a Community Hub. Significant urban design and landscaping elements strengthen these connections, with layered and linked internal learning spaces opening up to external landscape spaces.

The Architect’s interpretation of the Briefing document saw the creation of seven design principles that were developed and applied to the design of each campus, noting that each site had different proportions but were equal in size.

1. Series of Learning Communities
2. Community Space
3. Environment as the Third Teacher
4. Graduation of Spaces
5. Green Spine
6. Planting Strategies
7. Financially Sustainable and Environmentally Responsible

Overlayed across each site is a connection to Country and the opportunity to recognise and present the Aboriginal significance of each site. Some of the Aboriginal stories for each site are embedded in the landscape design for learning and discovery.

Aldinga Payinthi College is one of the two new Birth-Year 12 schools delivered simultaneously for the Department of Education under a PPP (Public Private Partnership) model.

A detailed briefing document (PSDR) was prepared by the Department for Education and specialist consultants, forming the basis for the Consortium design. Each school campus would accommodate 1675 students (Early Years to Year 12), in a contemporary learning environment, with a STEM focus. Designed as a “Schools within Schools” model, the campus includes Early Years, Primary Years, Secondary Years with Inclusive Learning spaces embedded throughout.

With a focus on universal access and community ties, the design needed to deliver a civic presence and allow a high degree of visual and physical connectivity, facilitating the school’s role as a Community Hub. Significant urban design and landscaping elements strengthen these connections, with layered and linked internal learning spaces opening up to external landscape spaces.

The Architect’s interpretation of the Briefing document saw the creation of seven design principles that were developed and applied to the design of each campus, noting that each site had different proportions but were equal in size.

1. Series of Learning Communities
2. Community Space
3. Environment as the Third Teacher
4. Graduation of Spaces
5. Green Spine
6. Planting Strategies
7. Financially Sustainable and Environmentally Responsible

Overlayed across each site is a connection to Country and the opportunity to recognise and present the Aboriginal significance of each site. Some of the Aboriginal stories for each site are embedded in the landscape design for learning and discovery. Ongoing programs for the students supported by local Elders allow a deeper exploration of these stories, further developing students’ connection to these places, their learning, and most importantly their community.

Swanbury Penglase were engaged in July 2019 by Nexus Hospitals to prepare a masterplan for the expansion of their existing Vermont Private Hospital in the Vermont South Medical Centre in Victoria.

The existing hospital was constructed in 2016 and had quickly outgrown its capacity. Occupying approximately two thirds of one floor of the building, Nexus had negotiated to lease the remaining tenancy space on the floor, including the common public amenities, to occupy the entire floor.

The masterplan was to provide for an additional Operating Theatre, expanded Pre-operative and Recovery bays, 12 additional Ward Beds, a new CSSD and new staff facilities.

Delivery of the masterplan had been split into two phases and a detailed procurement methodology developed to allow commencement of construction of the initial phase on site as soon as possible, with subsequent stages documented during construction to allow the builder to move seamlessly into construction of subsequent stages of works.

Construction of the initial phase is due to commence on site in January 2021.

Signaling a new era for the college with the first new stand-alone building project on site since 1980, The Aquinas Centre sits proudly and confidently at the front of the campus on Prospect Road.

Designed with high levels of transparency, the building connects the school and its students to the community beyond.

With a focus on Senior Learning and a celebration of the visibility of learning through connection and transparency, the building provides a variety of learning spaces including: specialist laboratories, multipurpose project rooms, group ‘think-tanks’ and collaborative gather spaces encouraging staff and students to stay learn and connect with one another.

As the last few years have shown us, situations can change at a rapid pace and what we know today, may be different tomorrow. The Aquinas Centre has been designed to adapt to change in real time, providing a future-focused, agile teaching and learning environment to easily and quickly adjust and support changes in education.

Delivering a tertiary-style learning environment was an important design driver reinforcing the school’s belief in their senior learners and developing a sense of ownership and responsibility for the space.

The floorplate has been planned to encourage collaboration and self-directed learning, all while underpinned by a seamless approach to technology.

The result is a warm, welcoming and sophisticated learning environment.

The Aquinas Centre has invigorated the campus and provided the senior students a place to call their own, a space to pause, learn and connect, before embarking on their futures.

In 2018 Swanbury Penglase was engaged by Woodcroft College to develop a whole-of-site Masterplan, broken into over 10 stages over a 20+ year period.

In 2019, we were subsequently engaged to undertake detailed design of the first three major stages of the Plan, including a new Early Learning Centre, a new two storey Junior School building and a sports-precinct redevelopment with a focus on civil and carpark rework. The first of these three stages, the ELC, was constructed in 2020 and includes a new facility for 140 children, including a range of specialist learning areas with carefully considered internal and external break out zones whilst maintaining the necessary control measures. A new overflow carpark has also been included in a block of unused land along the northern edge of the College.

A particularly important part of the scheme is the relocation of an existing stormwater swale and its re-purposing as a new nature-play environment immediately adjacent the ELC. This space ensures a range of varied experiences for children, both structured and unstructured and presents a bold and dynamic expression from the street. The design draws inspiration from similar rock featured play-spaces in the Adelaide South Parklands and allows children to appreciate the changing nature of the seasons and the joy of nature-play.

Walford Anglican School for Girls identified that their current facilities on Parks Oval were dated and lacked amenity to deliver contemporary learning pedagogy.

The new pavilion provides a contemporary flexible learning environment and the opportunity for the school to hold school functions within the building.

The simple architectural form and use of materials has resulted in an elegant building being constructed within a tight budget. The raking high level ceiling and glazed façade maximises light into the multipurpose space and allows a high level of visibility and connection to the playing fields for year-round use. Large openable section of the façade further connects the pavilion to the playing fields and large outdoor covered view deck.

A large semi commercial kitchen is directly linked to the multipurpose space for flexibility during sports days, events, and functions. The pavilion also houses changeroom facilities, amenities and large stores for the sports and maintenance staff.

The pavilion has been positioned on the site to maximise the playing field extents. Raising the pavilion and viewing deck maintains line on site for spectators to the entire field.

Swanbury Penglase were engaged in August 2018 by Nexus Hospitals to undertake renovations and expansion of their existing Insight Private Hospital in Albury.

Located on Level 5 of The Gardens Medical Centre in the heart of Albury, the hospital has sweeping views over the Albury-Wodonga region. The existing hospital facility occupied the bulk of the floor plate however there were several consulting suites located on the west side of the building which Nexus were able to take over and expand into.

The Nexus Hospitals brief was to:

• Construct a fourth large Operating Theatre suitable for orthopaedic surgery.
• Increase the number of Pre-operative Bays and Stage 1 and 2 Recovery Bays to cater for increased theatre capacity
• Expand existing Ward capacity from ten beds to twelve.
• Resolve functional issues and improve operational flows to increase theatre utilisation.
• Upgrade CSSD to meet requirements of recently updated Infection control standards and cater for increased theatre capacity.
• Upgrade existing staff facilities to provided improved amenity for staff.

A key requirement for Nexus Hospitals was that the existing hospital facility continue to operate whilst construction works were undertaken. Careful consideration of the required staging of construction works to facilitate ongoing operation informed the project design and documentation.

An early design decision was made to relocate CSSD and construct the new fourth Operating Theatre within the former consulting tenancies (expansion space). Whilst this had obvious benefits in limiting facility disruption it was also critical to the operational re-organisation of the operating theatre zone and its relationship to expanded Pre-operative Bays and Recovery Bays along with the new CSSD facility. This has facilitated substantially improved utilisation of the existing 3 theatres.

Construction was successfully completed on time and within budget in February 2020.

The 6 Green-Star rated, McAuley Community School with associated ALIVE Early Learning Centre has revitalised the original Marymount Middle School to create a rich and contemporary learning environment that inspires educational and pedagogical change, for children from Birth – Year 6.

The dynamic buildings with their flowing and Reggio-Emilia inspired interiors provide a variety of sub-divided, purposeful and inclusive spaces that provide opportunity for children to further create, explore and discover as part of their resource rich, student centred, social and supportive environments.

The surrounding adventurous and natural external environments that include a connection to the existing shared community oval can be easily expanded to and help to improve the children’s connection to nature, beauty and wonder, that is also available after hours for public use.

The intent of the development is to create a connected and engaged community of inquiry with the built environment itself, to further enhance educational outcomes.

Our business is all about our people as well as for those who come together on our projects to create and innovate.

It was important for us to create a comfortable space for our staff and an inviting space for our clients. Staff spoke about the need for our new home to celebrate what we stand for; it needed to be transparent, authentic and collaborative. These aspirational objectives became the key project drivers to be translated and reflected in the built form.

Located on the first floor, the studio is welcoming and flexible, supporting the collocation of multidisciplinary project teams, allowing a collaborative approach to each project, interconnecting our architecture, interior design, landscape architecture and heritage teams. Open and transparent, all areas of the space are connected with support spaces such as meeting rooms, library and bespoke niches for ad-hoc meetings or individual work. Visual connections across the spaces and to the neighbouring streets are celebrated. The break/lunch area, while visually linked is physically independent from the studio and provides a destination for staff to step away from their workspace and connect with each other, visitors and the surroundings.

Externally, the shell is a complex, distinctive and robust combination of concrete and exposed steelwork, in contrast to the more refined materiality and warmth of the interior spaces. However, there is a design ideology that ties together the outside and the inside; this speaks of authenticity and the design confidence Swanbury Penglase has built over the past thirty years. The thoughtful detailing throughout creates a timeless design aesthetic and enables the interior and the exterior to express a common character.

Our new studio confidently and proudly celebrates our values, but most importantly, is a true reflection of the people who work here.

With the development of a new Swanbury Penglase office came the opportunity to create and deliver a trio of four level townhouses in a small scale multi-residential development.

Each townhouse addresses Gilbert street with a small secure porch and front door, the wrap around office development providing each with secure access to a double car garage space on the ground floor of the townhouse via the main office garage.

In addition to the double garage, the ground floor hosts a generous laundry, storage provisions and a water closet. Accessed via an open stair the first level contains the kitchen and living area and large external balcony enabling easy access to natural light and space every day. The open stair makes its way alongside one side of the townhouse to all levels, with views transitioning from the street to the hills as you ascend. The second level contains two double bedrooms, each with matching ensuite inclusive of shower, vanity and WC. The bedrooms also include custom built-in robes. The third and final level provides a discreet study/home office space at the top of the stair before opening onto a generous external roof terrace with open views to the hills and coast, creating a true oasis in the city.

High quality materials and detailing throughout combined with efficient planning maximise every available square metre to create comfortable and flexible inner city living without compromise.