Health

Special Care Nursery

Project Special: Care Nursery - Toowoomba Base Hospital
Client: Queensland Health
Location: Toowoomba, Qld
Value: $.5m
Architect: Stephen Sims (Project Services)
Role: Design Architect and Principal Consultant

This project was a sorely needed major upgrade of the existing facility, expanding it to 12 full-time beds with an overflow capacity of another four, all within the existing footprint. Positioned between the birthing suites and the maternity ward, it was ideally located, but also without room for expansion. Fire compartmentation issues with the existing building and the need to retain the unit as operational during construction added project challenges to work around. By demolishing some of the internal partitions and reconfiguring the space, the full brief was able to be squeezed into the existing footprint. Fire separation of the new unit as its own entity was the simplest way to achieve compliance and
safety, but required some difficult detailing and modifications particularly to the mechanical systems.
To allow the unit to stay operational, it was temporarily relocated to a pair of disused caesarean theatres at the opposite end of the birthing suites. Additionally, careful supervision of the contractor and communication with the hospital allowed the construction to be undertaken with minimal disruption to the adjacent operational facilities. 

The result is a clean, open, modern facility that was opened just in time to meet the baby boom that followed and has continued to service the needs of the district since.