Here’s a look at some of the activity taking place on site over the next six months.

Plenary Health and Multiplex answer your most frequently asked questions about construction:
 

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The massive state-of-the-art development was built in two stages. The first stage featured:

The second stage of the hospital redevelopment delivered a multi-deck carpark, helipad and short-stay accommodation units.

Bendigo Health Board Chair, Bob Cameron said the helipad has led to the hospital’s cardiac catheter laboratory expanding to offer a 24/7 service.

‘This means locals can be treated closer to home rather than being transported to Melbourne.’

The Bendigo Hospital is one of the most sustainable and technologically advanced regional hospitals in Australia.

It features:

• electronic medical records
• sophisticated nurse call system
• real time locator for equipment
• customised audio and visual screens with live stream capability
• bedside entertainment units that allow patients to order meals and view their healthcare information
• telehealth capabilities.

Automated Guided Vehicles (AGVs)

Eleven ‘robots’ support the back of house services – delivering food, supplies, linen and providing waste management collection between wards.

Guided by GPS with wireless technology, they work around the clock to support staff.

Telehealth

When the hospital was opened to patients five years ago, Bendigo Hospital was one of the most digital smart hospitals built in regional Australia.

The telehealth activity allowed a specialist in Bendigo to provide advice to someone in a remote, rural hospital setting. Given Bendigo Health’s area of service is just over one quarter of the land size of Victoria, this was a smart way to help people across the Loddon Mallee region.

It also meant the hospital was equipped to deal with the pandemic and move much of its consulting, where appropriate, to telehealth. 

'Our treatment rooms were already technology enabled which meant they could be used for telehealth by our clinicians which allowed continuity of care for patients without requiring them to come into the hospital setting,’ Mr Cameron said.

'The majority of outpatient appointments were converted to telehealth during peaks in infections and periods of very minimal foot traffic to the building.'

The Bendigo Hospital has received world-wide acclaim for its design and landscape.

Just some of the awards it has won include:

• 2019 Good Design Award in the Urban Design Category
• 202020 Vision Green Design Award
• Award of Excellence in the 2019 Victorian Landscape Architecture Awards 
• Best of Asia Pacific Design Award from the International Interior Design Association healthcare category
• Victorian Development of the Year award from the Property Council of Australia.

Courtyards

The new Bendigo Hospital has 46 courtyards and terraces. The design brings the outside in, with a focus on patient areas being bathed in natural light.

The courtyards are designed specific for a number of areas: 

• an interactive courtyard for the rehabilitation ward so patients can continue their recovery journey
• mental health courtyards with barbecues and gym equipment for social interactions
• the intensive care unit terrace allows medical equipment to be brought outdoors so patients can enjoy fresh air and still receive treatment 
• a kid-focused courtyard with interactive pieces near the children’s ward to let kids get outside. 

And it’s not only the patients that enjoy the large range of benefits from having so many outdoor spaces, Mr Cameron said.

‘The surrounding gardens within the precinct provided well ventilated areas for staff to enjoy their breaks during the pandemic and to enjoy some time out in nature.'

As part of the future proofing of the hospital, 45 new hospital beds were made available to help with COVID-19 demand. Built-in capacity for 20 intensive care beds meant additional beds were available if, and when, required.

‘The future growth spaces allowed us to expand our ICU and open additional ward capacity for a dedicated respiratory ward to care for COVID-19 positive patients,’  Mr Cameron said.

‘The flexible floor plan allowed the clinical teams to move services within the building to provide a safe pathway from the emergency department to theatres, maternity, ICU and the COVID-19 ward which reduced the risk of infection occurring within the hospital setting.

‘Bendigo Health was very fortunate that the new hospital had modern ventilation with single pressure rooms throughout the building and an entire clinical area which could be converted into a single pressure ward.’

Spanning across 13 hectares, Bendigo Hospital creates a large footprint. The many sustainability features lessen the environmental impact of the building.

And while this is good for the environment, these features also provide a healthier physical environment for patients, staff and the community.

The hospital’s roof is home to a 770 solar panel array, generating clean energy which is fed into the hospital’s main power boards. In addition, the hospital’s 1000sqm green roof is a habitat for local plant species and has other benefits such as reducing glare and improving building acoustics and thermal performance.

Bendigo Hospital was the first energy efficient, sustainable and future-ready facility in Victoria with uninterrupted power supply (UPS) and a tri-generation plant which provides instantaneous electricity, cooling and heating.

Looking back on five years in the new hospital, Mr Cameron said the building has assisted Bendigo Health in driving improvements in patient care and recruiting highly skilled and experienced staff. It also offers training to the next generation of health professionals in partnership with local university campuses including the Monash Rural Medical School and La Trobe Rural Health School.

’Bendigo Hospital remains one of the most digitally enabled hospitals in Australia which has helped us to use technology in innovative ways to provide health care,’ he said.

‘It is a local landmark and the gardens are flourishing, providing a calm retreat for patients and staff away from the hospital building.’

The new hospital was delivered through a public-private partnership between the Victorian Government, Bendigo Health and the Exemplar Health consortium. The Exemplar Health consortium included:

• Capella Capital – who sponsored the project and provided finance advisory services to Exemplar Health
• Lendlease – responsible for design and construction of the hospital
• Design partners also included Norman Disney Young, Silver Thomas Hanley and Bates Smart
• Spotless Facility Services – the facility management provider responsible for maintaining the hospital for the next 25 years.

Learn more about the Bendigo Hospital via our dedicated project page.

In the spotlight

Project pulse

In case you missed it

Beginning with a universal design approach

Universal design is an approach that makes buildings, products or environments accessible to as many people as possible – regardless of age, disability, background or any other factors. In health infrastructure, universal design means creating spaces that are functional for everyone and that address physical, sensory and cognitive needs.

Our design guidelines explain how to accommodate people with autism within healthcare facilities. Solutions include installing clear wayfinding, and avoiding highly complex or stimulating patterns on surfaces. There are also design methods to reduce sensory triggers of lights, sounds, colours, and smells

Accommodating sensory issues

We spoke to Professor David Krieser, Director of Paediatric Emergency Medicine at Western Health, about the issues autistic children may face, and how he has seen design make a difference.

He says autistic children often find comfort in routines and surroundings that are familiar. They may not like highly stimulating environments. Emergency departments (ED) are generally not familiar to them, are rapidly changing and certainly not routine for anyone.

‘Trying to provide quieter spaces with capacity for images that are familiar to the child is useful. Auditory and visual separation from the action of the ED is important as this may mean autistic children can respond to the people they are most familiar with - for example parents, carers or case workers - without the confronting distraction of others. The use of doors rather than curtains may improve the auditory separation.'

‘Sensory equipment such as weighted blankets, toys and tactile sand can also be acquired. Of course, medical care and staff safety must be assured, but selected patients and the staff caring for them will be safer in such a space than in a conventional ED cubicle.’

Professor David Krieser says videos and soothing sounds can also be helpful.

‘Ceiling projectors linked to an iPad can provide visual and auditory distraction tailored to the child. Artworks can be used to trigger interaction. For example, wallpaper in the Sunshine Children’s emergency department has a variety of pictures contained within it. I have used this to ask children with autism questions, “Can you find the flower?” “Do you like flowers?” “How about the snails?” “Where are they?”’

The Victorian autism plan states that about one in every 100 Victorians report being autistic. However, many autistic people live without a diagnosis, and the true rate of occurrence may be higher. Autistic people have differences in their characteristics, needs and their experience of disability.

In 2017, the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare reported that autism is most commonly identified in children and young people. As such, people with autism were more likely to be younger, with 83 per cent aged under 25.

The ABS 2018 Survey of Disability, Ageing and Carers found:

• there were 205,200 Australians with autism, a 25.1 per cent increase from the 164,000 with the condition in 2015
• males were 3.5 times more likely than females to have the condition, with prevalence rates of 1.3 per cent and 0.4 percent respectively.

Our Universal Design Policy states that we are committed to:

• providing equitable access to health sector infrastructure for Victorian people of all abilities
• exceeding minimum standards to ensure universal design provisions be included and applied to planning schemes and delivery of health infrastructure
• developing the capabilities of our workforce through best practice guidance and leadership
• promoting a culture of inclusion by integrating universal design principles into compliance commitments and requirements
• delivering innovative solutions to anticipate the needs of all end-users through design and implementation of development initiatives.

The Victorian Government is investing $102.4 million to deliver specially designed children’s emergency areas at:

• Northern Hospital in Epping
• Frankston Hospital
• Casey Hospital in Berwick
• Maroondah Hospital
• University Hospital Geelong.

The new emergency departments will meet increasing demand for paediatric emergency care. This will translate to better, more personalised treatment for kids, their families and carers at a time they need it most.

Learn about our investment in making emergency departments safer, calmer places for kids.

Depression, anxiety and behavioural disorders are among the leading causes of illness and disability in young people. But with early intervention – and health care facilities designed to meet their needs – we can help support young people to get the help they need.

Judith Hemsworth is the Principal Design Advisor – Mental Health at the Department of Health. She explains that the needs and preferences of young people experiencing mental ill health can differ greatly according to their age, gender identity, social and cultural background, history of trauma and a host of other factors. The settings in which mental health and wellbeing services for young people are provided must allow for this variability.

Mental ill health defined

Psychological distress in young people relates to their overall level of psychological strain or pain. It manifests in psychological states such as depression and anxiety. Levels of psychological distress are higher in young women.

Mental illnesses are diagnosable health conditions. They are health problems that affect how a young person feels, thinks, behaves and interacts with other people. They vary in severity and duration but most mental disorders can be treated, especially if treated early.

Poor mental health can lead to thinking about suicide, making suicide plans, and later to suicide attempts. These can lead to admission to hospital for specialised mental health care. Deaths due to suicide are higher in young men than in young women.

Young Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people can face extra obstacles to good mental health. The effects of inter-generational trauma, racism and prejudice, and socioeconomic disadvantage are all relevant in understanding their experiences.

Designing for young people

The mental health service system is intentionally moving away from the use of seclusion and restraint, recognising their harmful aspects. To support this shift, settings for the provision of treatment and support for young people are designed to support them when they struggle with strong emotions.

Types of facilities

The types of mental health facilities we design and build include:

• Youth prevention and recovery care (YPARC) facilities which provide short-term residential treatment programs for young people who are unwell or recovering from mental ill health or psychological distress
• Acute mental health inpatient facilities, designed for young people experiencing serious mental illness
• Alcohol and other drug residential rehabilitation facilities for specialised rehabilitation treatment, care and support.

Design approaches

Judith Hemsworth explains that the contemporary design approach begins with the creation of a ‘beneficial physical environment’. This incorporates positive features such as:

• a legible and coherent layout
• adequate space that reduces social density and avoids occupants feeling crowded
• access to and free movement between indoor and outdoor spaces
• elements that delight all of the senses including pleasant views, acoustic treatment of spaces to reduce the level of unwanted noise, pleasant smells emanating from the kitchen and scented plants and careful design to avoid unpleasant smells (e.g. location of bin stores), spaces to sit and feel the sun or a cool breeze on the skin
• the ability for the young person to control and personalise aspects of their environment.

Bedrooms are grouped in small clusters, with a quiet lounge attached to each. This enables a young person to socialise with a small group of others with similar support needs to themselves.

This arrangement of spaces supports young people by providing them with options regarding the level of social interaction they feel able to engage in at any time.

Designers and architects have to make sure that the interior of the building can easily flex to meet the physical, social and emotional needs of young people that may change, even daily. For example, a bedroom and its ensuite may be able to belong to either of two-clusters of bedrooms clusters by the opening and closing of a door on a corridor. This means that services don’t have to turn someone away because they don’t have enough beds in a bedroom cluster appropriate to support the needs of that young person at that time.

When designing a mental health facility, it’s important to consider the needs of the people we are designing for. Who better to inform the design than those with lived experience of mental ill health?

That’s where co-design comes into play.

What is co-design?

Co-design is about involving people with lived experience in the design process. It means including their input in a meaningful way as equal partners so that the results of the design meet their needs. Co-design grew out of the Scandinavian participatory design movement in the 1970s and has two underlying ideas. The first is that everyone should have the right to participate in the decisions that impact on their life. The second is that everyone has valuable knowledge to contribute to a design process.

Think about designing a youth mental health facility. We want it to feel safe and welcoming to the young people who will use it. Imagine we’ve painted the interiors with bright colours and put bean bags everywhere because ‘that’s what young people like.’ Rather than relying on stereotypes, wouldn’t it be better to consult young people themselves, and in particular young people who have lived experience of mental ill health? By using co-design, we incorporate multiple perspectives into the design process. We can centre the lived experience of young people to not only identify the issues they face but to inform the design solutions as well.

When we talk about co-design we’re designing with young people, rather than for them.

As Judith Hemsworth explains, facilities that were designed 30 or 40 years ago are seen by young people as institutional, unsafe and unattractive rather than places that will empower and support them in their treatment and recovery. ‘It is critical that young voices are heard as equal partners in shaping the physical settings that house the services they have also co-designed. This will help ensure that these settings appear attractive and non-stigmatising to young people, encouraging and inviting them to engage with the services on offer and supporting them in that.’

Involving young people

Co-design of mental health facilities involves more than just having a one-off workshop. It’s an approach that benefits from involving multiple young people, at multiple touchpoints throughout the design process, using a mix of face-to-face and online methods, like focus groups, workshops, online surveys and webchats.

The co-design process works best when it’s as inclusive as possible, involving young people who have a diverse mix of experiences and backgrounds. This could include Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander young people, young people from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds, LGBTIQA+, young people with experience of juvenile justice and young people who are disengaged from school or work.

Bringing nature into our building designs has been shown to have a positive effect on wellbeing. But it’s more than bringing some pot plants into a room. Biophilic design recognises that patterns, materials, sounds, smells and light can all contribute to feeling good. We can elevate the moods of the young people who use our mental health facilities by blurring the division between inside and outside, bringing nature in by using plants as well as natural patterns and materials.

A holistic view of the healing process

We know that exposure to natural light can help with mood and promote happiness. Views of nature have also been shown to reduce stress. Even small amounts of time spent in nature can improve our mental and physical wellbeing. Spending time in a garden can elevate our mood and reduce stress.

It is important for young people to have the therapeutic benefits that access to external spaces provides. As such, we incorporate various design elements that enable people to have access to external areas on each level of a building wherever possible.

As part of the Victorian Government’s response to the Royal Commission into Victoria’s Mental Health System, we’re designing and delivering contemporary, safe and high-quality mental health facilities across Victoria.

When we visit a hospital, the main thing on our mind is getting better – or seeing our loved ones get better. We’re probably not thinking about all the energy and water and single use plastics being consumed, or the amount of waste being generated.

But when we design our hospitals and healthcare buildings to be more environmentally sustainable, the benefits aren’t just to the environment. Sustainable design may lower environmental impacts and operating costs, but it also goes further by creating healthier, healing environments for patients, visitors and staff.

Tiernan Humphrys is the Environmental Sustainability Manager at the Victorian Health Building Authority (VHBA). As Tiernan explains, how we design and build our hospitals affects the healing environment.

A sustainable hospital involves more than just some solar panels on the roof. There are a number of design initiatives we can embrace to lower emissions and reduce waste.

As Tiernan explains, a sustainable hospital can take many different shapes and forms and goes well beyond just low energy and water consumption. 'The whole footprint of a hospital needs to be understood and managed, from the supplies required to deliver good health outcomes for patients, staff and visitors, right through to the disposal and removal of materials used. The supply chain of a hospital is long and complex and we need to focus more on investigating the sustainability impacts of manufacturing, transporting, consuming and disposing of these products.'

A sustainable hospital might include:

A great way to make hospitals more energy-efficient is to harness energy from the sun. Solar panels can help lower energy bills and cut greenhouse gas emissions, making the running of public hospitals greener.

The Victorian Health Building Authority has committed to a target of delivering five per cent of the public health system’s electricity from solar energy. We’re achieving this by installing large collections of solar panels on top of hospital roofs, known as solar arrays.

Solar panels on 60 per cent of the roof

For all new hospitals being built in Victoria, 60 per cent of the roof space is being designed for solar panels. This involves several design considerations including roof spaces that face the right direction for maximum exposure to the sun. We’re designing areas of continuous space for the solar panels to be located. And we’re designing roof spaces that aren’t shaded by trees or other buildings and have limited building equipment spread across the roof area.

Tracking solar data

Our solar arrays are designed to generate energy and report performance data on how much electricity is being generated. In 2018-19, solar arrays on Victoria’s public hospitals generated 1.4 gigawatt-hours of electricity. In 2020-21 this increased to 9.8 gigawatt-hours – reducing carbon emissions by some 11,000 tonnes.

The Regional Health Solar Program

As well as designing new hospitals to include solar arrays, we’re also retrofitting existing hospitals roofs with solar. The $13.5 million Regional Health Solar program is a Victorian Government initiative to install solar panels on rural and regional hospital rooftops.

The program has installed solar arrays with an aggregate generating capacity of 7.5 megawatt-peak on 59 health facilities across the state. Solar arrays on a further 20 health facilities, with a capacity of 1.3 megawatt-peak, were installed and completed in 2021.

Once the program is complete, the solar panels installed are set to generate two per cent of our state-wide hospital electricity consumption. Hospital electricity costs will also be reduced, with a total estimated saving of $2.7 million in energy expenditure every year.

In 2017, the Victorian Government set a target for Victoria to be net carbon zero by 2050. By including energy efficiency features in our hospital and healthcare buildings, we can help meet this goal.

Transitioning to all-electric

All-electric hospitals are buildings that don’t use any gas for their heating or sterilisation equipment, meaning they are powered entirely by electricity. Where possible to do so, moving to all-electric buildings would support the 2050 net zero carbon target, although it will take some steps to get there.

The adoption of all-electric healthcare facilities presents the opportunity to reduce the emissions profile of public hospitals when the Victorian Government procures renewable electricity for Government operations beginning in 2025. However, designing and engineering all-electric facilities will present challenges for the industry as we move forward.

Building for energy efficiency

By using energy-efficient design, our healthcare buildings can be comfortable, healthy and use less resources.

Some of the energy-efficiency features include:

Choosing the right place to build

It’s not only how we build hospitals and healthcare buildings that can have an environmental impact. Where we choose to build our facilities is important too.

We can lessen our impact by making sure we:

• don’t build on land with recognised heritage or conservation value
• avoid land that is better used for agriculture
• avoid land which might be susceptible to erosion, bushfires or landslides.

Tiernan adds that during construction and afterwards, ‘we can lessen our environmental impact by keeping as much native vegetation as possible. This in turn protects habitats for local wildlife.’

Using landscaping to increase biodiversity

In support of choosing good building design, we can reduce the impact of our buildings by taking steps to increase biodiversity around the facility or campus.

Biodiversity around a building or across a health campus will include increased use and variety of plants and structures to support differing and complimentary ecosystems.

Thoughtful landscaping that uses locally indigenous plants and trees can provide habitats and food sources for our local wildlife, including insects. If the building site is close to a conservation area, we can go even further by creating habitat corridor links for our animal friends

Sensory gardens

Even small amounts of time spent in nature can improve our mental and physical wellbeing. Spending time in a garden can elevate our mood and reduce stress.

A great way to capitalise on this is to include sensory gardens in our building and landscaping designs. Sensory gardens are carefully designed to provide calmness and connection of our senses. They go beyond the scope of an average garden experience to heighten our awareness of our interaction with nature and ourselves.

Biophilic design

Biophilic design is about bringing nature into our buildings and designs to promote wellbeing for health and the environment.

But it’s more than just arranging some plants in a room. Biophilic design recognises that patterns, materials, sounds, smells and light can all contribute to feeling good. We can elevate the moods of the people who use our hospitals and healthcare buildings by blurring the division between inside and outside, bringing nature in by using natural patterns and materials.

The Victorian Health Building Authority is responsible for the planning, delivery and oversight of Victoria’s health infrastructure - including public hospitals, community health services, residential aged care, mental health facilities and ambulance branches across the state.

We work with the health sector and industry partners to provide specialist expertise in health facility design and planning, architecture, engineering, construction, project management, property and asset management.

Together, we create vibrant and healthy places to support the wellbeing of all Victorians.