Flinders Medical Centre Transforming Health

The FMC Transforming Health project was one of South Australia's most challenging major health endeavours, requiring the design and construction of multiple buildings within 26 months on a steep hillside at a busy hospital campus. This project included three significant new structures totalling over 71,000m²: a five-level Palliative Care and Rehabilitation Services Centre, a seven-level carpark with 1,800 spaces, and a 30-bed Older Persons Mental Health Unit (OPMHU).

The project faced numerous complex planning and design challenges. The only available area was a steep hillside separated from the main hospital by a gorge and creek, posing difficulties in finding suitable locations for the Rehab Centre and OPMHU, which needed large, flat areas for patients with mobility limitations. Additionally, ensuring safe and effective connections between the new buildings and the existing hospital for the movement of patients, staff, and services was crucial.

Through 3D modelling and surveying of the existing hospital, an innovative site plan was developed. This plan positioned each building and interconnected them with a fully enclosed pedestrian street, including a flyover bridge and lift, ensuring flat corridors throughout.

Accelerated delivery was achieved using a multi-team, fast-tracked approach, with extensive engagement from health professionals, consumers, the community, and Aboriginal groups to ensure the design met current and future needs. Executive stakeholders were also consulted regarding the design, service delivery management during construction, and long-term operational considerations, including efficiency, clinical effectiveness, and safety.

Sustainability was a key objective, influencing decisions throughout the redevelopment. The facility's good environmental qualities create a positive environment for staff, patients, and occupants, supporting better healthcare outcomes and improved well-being.

Energy efficiency and resource reuse reduce operational costs and environmental impact. The Rehabilitation and OPMHU buildings have been awarded a 5-star In-house Green Rating Assessment Tool score for design and construction.

Strategies to achieve this rating included:

> Incorporating predicted climate change into the design

> High-performance thermally isolated double glazed windows and curtain walls

> Use of courtyards for natural lighting

> Selection of hard-wearing, low-maintenance materials

> Responsible building material choices

> Active lighting systems with occupancy and lighting level sensors and tuneable colours

Building Information Modelling (BIM), although not a project requirement, was used extensively through construction and minimized clashes and rework which typically result from a fast-tracked program.

With a minimum design life of 50 years, the building was designed for future flexibility, incorporating:

> Universal building footprints and structural systems adaptable to multiple clinical functions

> Open plan structure with bracing elements in fixed vertical transportation structures and courtyard walls

> Configurable engineering services to support functional and layout changes

> Accessible and flexible engineering spaces and backbone systems for changing technology