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Swanbury Penglase were engaged in April 2020 by Nexus Hospitals to undertake renovations and expansion of their existing Manningham Private Hospital located in the Manningham Medical Centre in Templestowe Lower, Victoria.

The Hospital specialises in ophthalmic surgery and associated services including laser surgery. The Hospital also undertakes a range of specialty surgery including endoscopy procedures within the three existing operating theatres.

An increased demand in endoscopy procedures has led to the need for a new specialised Endoscopy Suite which will in turn free up space within the existing Operating Theatres providing additional Ophthalmic surgical capacity.

In addition to creating a new Endoscopy Suite including two new Endoscopy Procedure Rooms with integrated Scope Reprocessing facility and dedicated recovery facilities, the project includes additional major works including a new Hospital entry and reception area, relocated Laser Suite and new staff facilities including staff room and change facilities. A new CSSD facility to increase capacity and ensure compliance with new infection control standards is also included.

Construction works shall be undertaken in 4 stages to ensure continuous uninterrupted operation of the existing hospital throughout the construction program.

The project is scheduled to be completed in January 2022.

Swanbury Penglase were engaged in August 2019 by Nexus Hospitals to design a new Hospital in Charlestown, New South Wales.

The existing Charlestown Private Hospital had been constructed within a building that was ill suited to it and lacked expansion capacity. Nexus Hospitals had identified a new site, located immediately adjacent to the existing facility, to develop a new Hospital to expand their capacity and surgical offering.

The new site presents some significant design challenges including its location adjacent to a major intersection, significant level changes and exposure to bushfires.

The design response was to:

• Provide 2 levels of basement level carparking which utilised the substantial fall on the site alleviating the need for substantial excavation and retaining.
• Provide 2 Levels of hospital floor space above with the bottom level directly accessing the Pacific Highway.
• Tenanted levels of the building were set 20m back from the rear boundary which, when combined with substantial height separation, provided a buffer against the bushfire risk.

The Hospital contains four Operating Theatres and clinical support spaces located on the top level with the 8 Ward Rooms, Entry, Reception Administration and staff facilities located on the lower level.

In 2021, following a comprehensive registration of interest and tender process, SA Health signed an agreement with Nexus Hospitals to develop a new Medical Centre on the Repatriation Hospital site at Daw Park.

The project will enable the delivery of both public and private surgical capacity, with the public surgery increasing capacity across the public health network.

The Surgery will include:
> Ophthalmology
> Orthopaedic
> Plastics & reconstructive
> Ear Nose and Throat
> Endoscopy
> General surgery

The facility will include:
> 8 theatres
> 30-bed overnight capacity
> 20-chair renal dialysis unit
> GP clinic
> Radiology
> Pathology
> Pharmacy
> Cafe
> areas for specialist medical and other allied health services
> Integrated 350 car multi-deck carpark

Work has involved a substantial collaborative design process with Nexus and SA Health to enable an appropriate integration into the existing Repatriation Health Precinct and the improvement of vehicular and pedestrian access across the site including substantial additional carparking.

The project involves extensive consultation with medical specialists, other building occupants and broader community stakeholders; a well managed process that enables a collaborative ‘buy-in’, across the board.

Demolition works have recently commenced to make way for the new facility.

Construction is expected to start in early 2023 and be completed by end of 2024.

View 3D video here: https://www.facebook.com/swanburypenglase/videos/219312340036988/

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.

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.

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.

With a working relationship spanning over twenty five years, Fresenius Kidney Care and Swanbury Penglase have designed and delivered in excess of thirty dialysis clinics throughout Australasia.

The clinics provide a high level of clinical care whilst recognising that patients spend a substantial amount of time at the clinic on a regular basis; on average 3-4 hours a day three times a week. The design of the clinic environment therefore plays a significant role in their overall quality of life.

Typical aspects of the patient centred-design approach includes the use of soft welcoming colours, diffuse lighting, the maximisation of external views, the provision of audio-visual entertainment and internet connection are vital considerations in the final presentation of the clinics.

The clinics are highly serviced with high quality reverse osmosis water loops, body protected electrical services, patient monitoring software and nurse call systems. Mechanical services are specifically designed to provide a draught free environment and careful control as patients are temperature sensitive, particularly to the cold.

Maintenance of a sterile environment is also essential and the detailing of fixtures and fittings, wall and floor junctions and finishes selections have been developed to be both robust and be easy to clean and maintain.

Some examples of completed dialysis clinics nationally include:

• Mater Hospital, Sydney, 20 Stations
• NorthWest Hospital, Sydney, 16 Stations
• Auckland, New Zealand, 10 Stations
• Spearwood Clinic, Perth, 24 Stations
• Alice Springs, 18 Stations
• Katherine, NT, 20 Stations
• Varsity Lakes Clinic, 16 Stations
• Brighton, SA, 30 Stations
• Mater Hospital, South Brisbane, 16 Stations
• Brookwater, QLD, 8 Stations
• Sunshine, VIC, 16 Stations
• Forrest Hill, VIC, 16 Stations
• John James Hospital, Canberra, 16 Stations
• St George Hospital Satellite Clinic, NSW 23 Stations
• Clinic at Cannington, WA, 28 Stations
• Clinic at Midland, WA, 32 Stations
• Clinic at Stirling, WA, 32 Stations

Working in association with Sydney-based architectural firm BVN, our team successfully delivered the University of South Australia’s new 14 storey Bradley Building on North Terrace: on time and budget.

Located alongside the Morphett Street Bridge and adjacent the New Royal Adelaide Hospital, the SAHMRI building and Adelaide University’s Health and Medical Sciences Building, the Bradley Building is a high-profile landmark and an integral part of the new South Australian Health and Biomedical Precinct.

Our landscape architecture team also worked in collaboration with the Adelaide University design team to develop a new suspended landscaped ‘Urban Park’ between both buildings.

The building houses the Centre for Cancer Biology (CCB) which links the UniSA community with approximately 250 of Australia’s top cancer and health researchers, in addition to other innovative, multidisciplinary research laboratories. At the lower levels it features ‘MOD’, a new ‘future museum’ intended to inspire a new generation of science aware community.

Swanbury Penglase were engaged in late 2016 by Flinders University to design a new Organic Chemistry Laboratory in the north east corner of level 2 of the Physical Sciences building.

The existing building was built in the late 1960’s and the area of works in the north east corner of the building had changed little since that time, incorporating some of the original laboratory spaces.

Due to the age of the building, there had been significant issues identified by the University with respect to existing Fire and Life Safety provisions being deficient with respect to current codes and standards. Of particular relevance to this project was the existing building fire compartmentation.

The new laboratory facility compromised two main spaces; a main wet laboratory space with four fume cupboards, flexible island benching and fixed wall benching supported by a smaller Equipment Laboratory with an additional Fume Cupboard and a mix of flexible, fixed and specialised wall benches.

Being located on second level down from the top of the building, there were significant challenges in reticulating fume cupboard exhaust risers through the occupied level above to the roof. These challenges were further complicated by existing fire compartmentation issues which involved extensive collaboration with our certifier and the fire service and required careful detailing of all existing and new building penetrations to ensure compliance with the NCC.

Designed to provide normalised accommodation for people experiencing a mental illness, the Supported Accommodation facility takes the form of 20 self- contained single bedroom residential units arranged around a central shared garden / barbeque area. An administrative unit configured to match the residential units provides office and overnight accommodation for support staff.

Each unit is designed to be easily maintained and managed by a single person and consists of an open lounge (large enough to accommodate overnight guests), kitchen with adjoining dining area, a bedroom, bathroom and laundry.  A neutral material and finishes palette is used throughout with colour bursts implemented in the loose furnishings.

For the loose furniture and furnishings three different packaged options were prepared for each unit and presented to the consumers. As part of this process each consumer was invited to select their preferred package for their own individual unit.  This proved most valuable as consumers were able to be involved in the design process and gain a true sense of ownership for their dwelling.

• The Glenside redevelopment brings together a number of key mental health drug and alcohol services onto one site with purpose built facilities.Designed to promote the sharing of inpatient activities the building accommodates an art room, music and performance space, fitness suite, sensory room, IT room and multi-faith room.

  Designed as a garden pavilion, the building is located directly in front of the Specialist Rehabilitation Services Inpatient Unit.  This creates a buffer to the more public shared garden but allows secure client access.

  For larger gatherings, the main performance space and gym suite are designed to be opened up to each other and also to the outdoors, where the spaces can spill out under the large covered terrace overlooking the shared garden. Multiple entrances allow flexible use by different consumer groups and clients. The foyer spaces provide opportunities for display in the form of a gallery for consumer and client artwork.

  In contrast to the surrounding inpatient buildings on the site, the building façade boasts a more commercial and public presence and internally, a bold urban colour and material palette has been used to reflect this.