Health Infrastructure NSW has submitted a development application for the second stage redevelopment of Nepean Hospital in Penrith, designed by BVN.
Stage two will deliver a seven-storey building to the west of the 14-storey Stage one tower, due to open this year. The second tower will deliver “significantly enhanced acute services,” as well as a new campus main entry and drop-off area.
In a design statement, BVN notes that pedestrian connections withing the existing campus were “not necessarily intuitive” and that the new buildings offered a chance to redress this.
“The integration of public space will establish a sense of entry and facilitate the development and appropriate identity for the hospital within the local community as it becomes a fundamental connector for pedestrians,” the statement reads.
The existing hospital campus is an amalgamation of diverse buildings of different scales and ages, with multiple arrival points spread across north, east, south and west blocks. BVN notes that this detracts from the perception of campus as a “unified whole,” particularly for the first-time or infrequent visitor.
Stage 2 redevelopment of Nepean Hospital, designed by BVN.
“Combining a number of functions into a single Acute Services building, the Stage 1&2 Buildings will significantly alter the way people use and access the Hospital, and aims to become the first point of arrival for many visitors to the campus,” the firm notes. “As such, it presents an exciting opportunity to create a unique, easily identifiable and memorable ‘front door’ – a landmark building, which becomes synonymous within the Nepean and Blue Mountains Health District.”
The massing strategy for the building has been developed to closely tie into the building form and mass of the stage one tower, with the general strategy being to divide and breakdown long elevations and large masses with the use of deep recesses.
The stage two building will contain: front of house, including retail; education and training centre; transit lounge; medical imaging; interventional radiology; intensive care unit and close observation unit; in-centre dialysis and renal inpatient unit; paediatric in-patient unit; plant areas; clinical support areas; and kitchen.
The landscape architect for the project is Arcadia.
Source: Architecture - architectureau
