The Queen opens another new Royal Children’s Hospital
26th Oct 2011
Today marks a very significant moment in A.G. Coombs history, with Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II once again in Melbourne to open another new Royal Children’s Hospital.
The Queen opened the current Royal Children’s Hospital in February 1963. At that time, the hospital was regarded as “the very best possible buildings and facilities for the care and treatment of sick children”. A.G. Coombs played an important part in providing air conditioning for the new hospital.
As technology has advanced and medical capabilities expanded, so have the demands for a new, more innovative facility. Laying adjacent to the original hospital in Parkville, the new $1 billion hospital provides a world-leading children’s healthcare facility on a scale not seen in Australia. Construction was completed this year, with A.G. Coombs again having played a significant role, responsible for air conditioning, mechanical services, central energy plant and specialist hospital systems.
There were several challenges in constructing the new hospital, with the design incorporating a variety of technologies including active chilled beams, natural gas fired tri-generation energy plant, specialist heat recovery air conditioning units and a wood pellet bio-mass boiler – the first installation of its kind in Australia. The A.G. Coombs’ construction workforce, with its RACAH / AE Smith joint venture partner, peaked at over 200 personnel.
The intensive commissioning and completion phase commenced in June 2010. A key target has been the hospital’s 5 Star Green Star rating requirement; the first for this type of facility. It is predicted that the new hospital will achieve an overall 45% reduction in attributable greenhouse gas emissions through measures such as energy efficient cooling, heating and lighting systems, solar panels, and the inclusion of the gas-fired tri-generation plant and bio-mass boiler.
With a building area of 188,000sqm, the new hospital has the capacity to treat an additional 35,000 patients every year. It is family-centred and features improved accommodation and facilities for parents. Its unique natural setting, with the majority of patient rooms having views of the park and access to courtyards and gardens, will provide children and families with easy access to the outdoor ‘healing environment’.
Technical Completion was achieved last month, almost exactly five years from A.G. Coombs’ commencement on the project. This has been a tremendous achievement considering the scale and technical complexity of this project, and has prepared the way for the new state-of-the-art facility to open its doors.
A.G. Coombs is proud to have returned to Parkville for the construction of another ‘new’ Royal Children’s Hospital.