Page 1235 - Week 04 - Thursday, 5 May 2022
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sustainable design. Even before the critical services building goes up, the team has removed and recycled more than 94 per cent of demolition materials collected from the building site, equating to more than 8,900 tonnes of material, including metals, concrete, brick and green waste. Our construction partners have also excavated over 15,300 cubic metres of clean soil which has been repurposed for other projects.
The critical services building itself is one of the first all-electric clinical buildings of its type in Australia. Through an extensive consultation and design process, we have refined the design to boost the building’s green star rating and support a target of net zero emissions. This is being achieved through features such as green courtyards and design that maximises the use of natural light and ventilation.
As to what is still to come with this project, soon we will see Hospital Road reconfigured into separate north and south access roads to facilitate construction of the critical services building’s new welcome hall and pedestrian linkages into existing buildings. This will ensure that the new building provides a more seamless experience for pedestrians and more privacy for patients using the new facility.
Later this year we are expecting the construction of the building’s facade to commence, and by this time next year the floor plates of the physical building will be towering around eight storeys into the air. The mental health short stay unit proof of concept designer has also been engaged and the design for this new unit is progressing.
The fact that so much progress has been made and continues to be made onsite amid the challenges of disruptions posed by COVID-19 restrictions and labour and global supply chain shortages is a testament to the skills and hard work of everyone working to deliver this project—from our staff in Major Projects Canberra and Canberra Health Services to Multiplex, its subcontractors and all those working with them, including the unions that are proactively engaged in ensuring that workers’ rights and safety are at the forefront while delivering this critical infrastructure.
In parallel with construction, the ACT government has invested more than $18 million to undertake operational commissioning work to support the opening of the critical services building in 2024. Operational commissioning requires an equal commitment of time, effort and planning as the physical construction brings the critical services building out of the ground.
Operational commissioning focuses on detailed workforce planning and targeted recruitment activity for the critical services building; consultation on the clinical models of care; development of workforce orientation, education and training modules; selection, procurement and installation of equipment; testing equipment and training staff to operate it; and establishing inventories for consumable and pharmaceutical products.
The commissioning of the critical services building will concentrate on the operational aspects of preparing our current and future workforce, service providers and the community for the commencement and opening of this new health infrastructure for the Canberra region.
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