Construction company Watpac has completed the AUD135m ($84.7m) expansion of Casey Hospital in Melbourne, Australia, boosting the capacity of the state of Victoria, to respond to COVID-19 (novel coronavirus) pandemic.
The 13,000m² expansion is public-private partnership undertaking for an operating hospital in the country and includes the addition of 12 ICU beds as part of the hospital’s new ICU, 128 multi-day beds, 12-day surgical beds as part of a new day surgery unit and four additional operating theatres, operated by Monash Health.
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The expansion includes upgrading to pathology, pharmacy, back to house support facilities and more than 300 additional car parking spaces.
The expansion will accommodate more than 300 new staff and include education and training facilities for Monash University.
Watpac undertook the project as part of the Plenary Health consortium, which included Plenary Group and BGIS. The consortium was selected by the Victorian Government to deliver the project under a PPP.
Work at the hospital began in 2017 and Watpac leveraged its track record of working in live healthcare operating environments including projects at Frankston Private Hospital and Knox Private Hospital, Herston Quarter in Brisbane (PPP) and Hornsby Ku-ring-Gai Hospital in Sydney, to complete the project.
After Watpac was acquired by BESIX Group in 2018, the company claims to have enhanced its capabilities in healthcare projects in the Australian market.
Last month, Watpac completed Townsville’s new Queensland Country Bank Stadium in North Queensland.
The stadium with 25,000 seating capacity features a 200m² scoreboard, over 110 trees, more than 30,000 plants, two kilometres of beer lines and 2,500 tonnes of steel.
Built at a cost of AUD250m ($157m), the stadium’s construction began in 2017. The stadium is a joint project of the Queensland Government, Australian Government, Townsville City Council and supported by the National Rugby League and the North Queensland Cowboys.
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The new building of Casey Hospital in Melbourne, Australia. (Credit: Watpac Limited.)
