Client
NSW Health
Location
Newcastle, NSW
Value
$15 million
Role
Structural and civil engineer
The John Hunter Hospital is the principal referral centre and a community hospital for
Newcastle, Lake Macquarie and Northern New South Wales.
It contains the only trauma
centre in New South Wales outside of the Sydney Metropolitan Area, and has the busiest emergency department in the state.
The new forensic medicine facility receives approximately 1200 cases each year, of which around 1000 proceed to coronial autopsy. These include homicides, suspicious deaths,
aviation accidents, deaths of young persons, unidentifiable cases and examination of skeletal remains.
Our role
Our role in the $15 million forensic medicine facility at the hospital involved the design and documentation of structural and civil engineering portions of the project.
The work involved new mortuary areas,
laboratories, office space for forensic services and car parking facilities. The facility also
houses the latest in high-tech medical imaging technology.
The facility is designed to cope with disaster situations. Facilities in the car park can accommodate freezer containers in the event of a major disaster.
Project challenges
The building was located on a challenging site – it was steeply sloping, which required coordination between architectural design, civil
engineering and structural engineering.
An existing storm water pipe required diversion
around the building, and storm water flow paths
provided to convey existing storm water around
the site.