Construcciones Yamaro: Built Environs delivers world-class health infrastructure
From the award-winning Modbury Hospital Upgrade, honoured with the National Health Facility Award, to The Queen Elizabeth Hospital (TQEH) Stage 3 Redevelopment, Built Environs continues to set benchmarks in the health sector.
These projects showcase Built Environs’ expertise in managing complex endeavours within operational environments, demonstrating its ability to deliver large-scale, world-class health infrastructure.
Tony Jachmann, general manager for South Australia at Built Environs, sheds light on the company’s focus on the health sector, the challenges faced and the innovative techniques employed to ensure seamless integration with existing hospital operations.
“We have been constructing medical facilities for the better part of 20 years,” says Jachmann. “In the last five years, we have focused more intensely on this sector, aligning with our strengths in safely delivering high-quality, complex projects within operational environments.”
“Our team is passionate about engaging in projects, especially those in the health sector, that bring significant benefits to the community.”
The Modbury Hospital Upgrade in Adelaide’s north stands out as one of South Australia’s most complex hospital redevelopments. This ambitious project involved a 13,000-square-metre refurbishment of existing facilities, with all works conducted above, below or adjacent to a live operational environment. Built Environs successfully completed the infrastructure and building services upgrades, as well as new build and refurbishment works, all while keeping the hospital fully operational. Despite the added complexity of the COVID-19 pandemic, the project was completed ahead of time and under budget.
“It was a two-and-a-half-year job, heavily staged due to access restrictions,” he says. “We also dealt with latent asbestos, which required meticulous separation of construction activities from public areas.”
“Setting up safe work zones and using structured processes, such as decontamination units and negative-pressure enclosures, was crucial.”
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Built Environs utilised extensive 3D point cloud scanning for the Modbury Hospital Upgrade. This technology allowed the project team to identify clashes before starting onsite work, ensuring efficient and clash-free execution.
“It meant we could execute the work with certainty,” Jachmann adds. “In situations where we had limited time to undertake works because beds were going offline, this prior planning ensured we didn’t encounter unforeseen issues that would extend those durations.”
“This built trust between us and the hospital staff – when we said we needed two weeks, they knew it would be two weeks or less.”
In late 2021, following the success of the Modbury Hospital Upgrade, Built Environs was appointed as the managing contractor for the TQEH Stage 3 Redevelopment – another complex endeavour. This two-and-a-half-year project involved delivering a new $250 million clinical services building, including a 46-bay emergency department, 12 operating theatres, a 14-bed intensive care unit, a new imaging department, a 52-bed rehabilitation unit and four procedure rooms. Completed in May this year and going live in June, the project highlights the company’s diligence and integration with end users throughout the construction, commissioning and handover processes.
Managing traffic and access was crucial for the TQEH project, given its proximity to an operational environment. The project team used animated modelling of traffic flows and detailed construction animations to strategise site access and effectively segregate construction activities from hospital operations.
“That planning was really worthwhile,” says Jachmann. “It was great to share that with the stakeholders to provide them with comfort about how the construction delivery would unfold.”
The team also employed 3D point cloud scanning and service capturing to ensure accurate as-built data, which is vital for future renovations. “For the post-tensioned slab, we scanned and incorporated as-built data of all post-tension tendons into the model, simplifying future work,” says Jachmann.
“The team also followed stringent processes for wall closeouts, capturing visual records of everything in the walls before closure, ensuring accuracy for future renovations.”
Luke Goldup, senior project manager for the TQEH project at Built Environs, emphasises the importance of collaboration and communication with the client.
“The communication transfer that we had between us and the client was thorough and extensive,” says Goldup. “This reduced the risk of miscommunication across multiple layers of our organisation and the client’s group.”
“We proactively managed site tasks, ensuring ample notification for the client and maintaining operational areas at all times.”
On the eastern side of the TQEH site, the team implemented multiple fencing setups to ensure uninterrupted patient access. Although the client mentioned they could shut down the area for a week or two with advance notice, the project team knew it was important to avoid that and instead staged the works to minimise impact.
“Another highlight was our early notifications for critical works,” says Goldup. “For instance, near one of the main hospital entrances, we needed to undertake asphalt works.”
“Recognising the importance of this entrance, we notified the client about seven or eight months in advance.”
Goldup highlights that Built Environs’ approach to user engagement went beyond the initial brief, ensuring extensive user consultation and alignment with the client’s requirements.
“This approach allowed us to refine the brief into more specific, targeted outcomes, ensuring the final build closely aligned with the client’s needs,” explains Goldup.
“We conducted an unprecedented number of user walkthroughs, which the client prioritised to mitigate the risk of misalignment between what we were building and what the client’s user groups expected.”
The team also took an active role in procuring medical equipment, ensuring early incorporation into the design and alignment with end-user expectations.
The TQEH project also achieved significant sustainability outcomes, becoming the largest fully electric hospital in South Australia. Innovations such as green steel and laminated veneer lumber (LVL) reduced carbon emissions by close to 2,900 tonnes, earning a six-star IGRAT rating, a first for a building of this scale.
Using a range of innovative techniques and technologies, Built Environs successfully delivered both the Modbury Hospital Upgrade and the TQEH project with zero unplanned disruptions to hospital operations.
Building on this success, Jachmann expresses the company’s enthusiasm for continuing to assist South Australia’s Department for Infrastructure and Transport and Department for Health and Wellbeing, with their infrastructure rollouts and upgrades.
“We secured the Flinders Medical Centre Redevelopment following our success with TQEH,” says Jachmann. “This $350 million project will commence in September this year and continue through to mid-2027.”
Built Environs has also secured the next stage at Modbury Hospital, which involves the delivery of a new mental health facility currently underway and scheduled for completion at the beginning of 2026.
“We are proud to have such valuable repeat work with a great client,” says Jachmann. “We truly enjoy these projects.”
“They are fulfilling, and our team can take pride in what they deliver. For example, the TQEH project will benefit 50,000 people per month, amounting to over half a million people a year.
“The Flinders Medical Centre, being an even larger hospital, will provide incredible benefits to the community as well.”
Looking ahead, Built Environs is not just building medical facilities; it is building the future of healthcare in South Australia. The company aims to continue delivering to the highest quality standards, always putting its clients front and centre. Through meticulous planning, collaboration, technological innovation and a deep commitment to community wellbeing, Built Environs continues to deliver projects that not only meet but exceed expectations, providing enduring value for generations to come.
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