The Gold Coast University Hospital (GCUH) is a new tertiary greenfield hospital located on a 20 hectare, landscaped site on the Gold Coast. GCUH Architecture, a consortium including Silver Thomas Hanley, PDT and HASSELL, were commissioned in 2006 to deliver this world class facility for Queensland Health.

The GCUH was the largest public health infrastructure project undertaken in QLD at that time and was the first public hospital in Australia to feature 80% single patient bedrooms. The master plan objective of the project was to provide a world class clinical teaching and research facility hospital in a parkland setting. Construction of the 175,000 m2, 9 storey facility took 4 years.

This new tertiary teaching health facility is comprised of seven main buildings incorporating vertical and horizontal streaming of departments. Facilities include 750 beds, with wards of 24 or 28 beds to allow for flexibility. The comprehensive cancer centre with capacity for up to 56 beds, and womens’ and children precinct (including a 48 bed maternity unit, 18 room birth suite, 44 cot NICU/SCN, a 42 bed paediatric unit and dedicated womens’ and paediatric outpatients) are both vertically streamed. The general outpatients are located at one level.  Other facilities include an emergency department, onsite helipad, a 65 bed ICU, and a 27 room interventional and procedural suite. A separate Mental Health Building is designed in a pavilion style, with 72 bedrooms.

The interior and exterior design referenced the coastal headland, the exposed escarpment, the rainforest gorge and the woodland clearing as metaphors and influences.

GCUH was designed to achieve 4 Star Green Star rating and has a cogeneration facility on site.
The hospital and mental health unit were awarded multiple commendations at the 2013 Queensland AIA awards and the International Academy for Design and Health (IADH).

PROJECT SIZE: 175,000 m²

STATUS: Completed 2013

CLIENT: Queensland Health

PHOTOGRAPHY: Christopher Frederick Jones