RPA Hospital Redevelopment

The RPA Hospital Redevelopment is set to be the largest project Sparks+Partners have undertaken in the past decade. Despite the scale of the contract, we were awarded the BIM and hydraulic services design due to our exceptional experience and success in the healthcare space. We learnt, adapted and upskilled from previous projects such as the detailed coordination of New Maitland Hospital and complexity of St George Hospital’s Birthing Suites. This combined experience gave us the opportunity to join the project during the Early Contractor Involvement (ECI) phase.

The RPA project ECI involves engaging engineering consultants, from the outset, during the preliminary design phases. Due to this we have become an integral part of the project team, working closely with architects, builders, and other stakeholders. This early collaboration enables our input on design methods, scheduling, budgeting, and value-add solutions.

ECI helps our team align designs with the operational demands and efficient use of space at RPA. It allows for early identification and mitigation of potential challenges, reducing risks and costs. Moreover, ECI encourages open communication, a shared vision among project teams and a smooth transition from concept to completion. This collaborative approach optimises project outcomes and safeguards the highest standards in healthcare delivery.

An immediate challenge for Sparks+Partners has been designing to accommodate both the diversion of existing services clashing with new structure and determining gaps in as-built documentation.

The NSW Government has committed $940 million to the redevelopment of Royal Prince Alfred (RPA) Hospital to deliver a new hospital building and refurbishment of existing spaces.

This is the most significant investment in RPA’s 140-year history to support the world-leading services provided at RPA for the 740,000 people who live in Sydney Local Health District and the more than 1 million people who come into the District each day to work, study and visit.

When complete, the RPA Hospital Redevelopment will deliver:

• Expanded and enhanced Emergency Department and ICUs
• State-of-the-art operating theatres
• Expanded and improved adult inpatient accommodation
• Increased interventional and imaging services
• Expanded neonatology services
• Improved hospital roads, signage and landscaping
• A new open garden courtyard.²

The vision for the RPA Hospital Redevelopment is:

• That RPA sustainably delivers world-class, world-leading, personalised patient and family-centred care for the communities it serves.
• That RPA is an anchor for leading translational research in Australia, equal to be best in the world.
• That RPA works with partners through innovation, advanced technologies, research, integration and trials new, value-based models of care to integrate and transform healthcare and improve health outcomes.
• That RPA’s Connection with Country will be further enhanced.²

The project scope for the RPA Hospital Redevelopment is:

• Emergency Department
• Intensive Care Unit
• Medical imaging services
• Operating theatres
• Intensive care neonatal services
• Public domain and services (roads, wayfinding, landscaping, information and communication technology)
• Adult inpatient accommodation and beds
• Associated clinical and non-clinical support services

Early Contractor Involvement (ECI) Stage:

• Site investigations
• Schematic Design Return Brief:
  • Calculations
  • Limitations
  • Plant and equipment
  • Innovations
• Complete Main works Models:
  1. New East Tower
  2. Vertical Extension
  3. East Extension
  4. Refurbishment
  5. Northern Entry

²Source: NSW Government 2023, RPA Hospital Redevelopment, accessed 30 October 2023.

Information and images NSW Government RPA Hospital Redevelopment and Sydney Local Health District sites, Jacobs, Bates Smart and Neeson Murcutt + Neille.