Doors open to new hospital redevelopment on Melbourne

The redevelopment of Frankston Hospital on Melbourne's Mornington Peninsula, led by Bates Smart and Architectus, officially opened this week with the capacity to treat up to an additional 35,000 patients annually.

According to a media release from the architects, a people-centric approach to the redevelopment and expansion of the existing hospital, which first broke ground in June 2022, is intended to embody "the spirit of Frankston and the Mornington Peninsula communities as a welcoming, safe place for patients and health employees."

The health campus, which has been named the Peninsula University Hospital, was born of a unified masterplan connecting the site's extensive green spaces and existing hospital with a new entrance and a new, all-electric, 12-storey tower. The architects note that the design of the added building responds to adjacent parklands and the local coastal context with a composition of elements including a rusticated facade, palette of natural materials and landscaped interventions. A sculptural verandah space sits above the new main entrance.

For the campus's interiors, the architects focused on offering "an uplifting, calm and intuitive journey throughout the hospital with expansive natural daylight, access to courtyards and views to the bay, city and peninsula," the media release notes.

A vertical configuration across the new hospital building is designed with public and clinical circulation routes separated to enable better functionality for staff and a dignified experience for patients.

According to Architectus senior associate Ryan Browne, it also "allowed for a unique opportunity to enhance clinical adjacencies between critical departments within the facility, benefiting hospital operations and patient care."

The overnight patient rooms are located high in the tower with access to light and unobstructed views to the local landscape intended to increase the amenity and healing experience for patients. Likewise, the oncology department on the eighth floor benefits from increased amenity and 180-degree bay views. Dedicated patient, public and staff wintergardens on each clinical floor are designed to further supplement occupants' access to landscape and fresh air, which Browne said "will improve the quality of care and working environment."

The podium accommodates imaging, the operating theatre (15 in total), the Central Sterile Services Department, women and children's services, the special care nursery and the birthing departments in a large, interconnected floor plate. Atop the podium, courtyards and lightwells are scattered across the mental health department.

Expansion of the emergency department includes a new mental health, alcohol and other drugs hub and a dedicated paediatric zone with specialist care for patients, families and carers.

Guided by principles that were co-created with the Bunurong Land Council Aboriginal Corporation, the project philosophy has been to "foster greater awareness of interconnectedness between individual wellbeing and broader community health outcomes," in order to promote "a sense of collective healing, emphasising the vital link between place, people and health," the media release notes.

Bates Smart director Mark Healey commented that "understanding the unique healthcare issues facing the broader Frankston community heightened [the architects'] approach to delivering a building for healing that is embedded within the local community fabric."

Once fully operational, the redevelopment will provide an additional 130 beds, and a community centre and childcare facility are planned for the future.

The redevelopment was completed for the Victorian Building Authority in partnership with Bayside Health and the Exemplar Health consortium, comprising Capella Capital, Honeywell, Compass Group and Lendlease, with Bates Smart and Architectus providing architecture, interior design and clinical health planning.