Multiplex has announced that it has been selected as the preferred builder for the $1.5 billion New Footscray Hospital in Victoria. Multiplex will deliver the new health facility as part of the Plenary Health consortium. 

The Plenary Health consortium is comprised of: 

• Plenary Group as sponsor and investor 
• Multiplex as builder 
• Cox Architecture and Bullard Leece Partnership as the integrated design team 
• Honeywell and Compass Group as service providers 
• Sojitz Corporation as investor 

“It is a privilege to be entrusted with this important project for Melbourne’s west. 

“We and our consortium partners look forward to partnering with the Victorian Government and Western Health to deliver this much-needed and critical piece of health infrastructure,” Plenary Head of Origination Paul Crowe said. 

The new Footscray Hospital is going to be delivered as a Public Private Partnership, which means that a private consortium will undertake design, construction, financing and maintenance of the new health facility over a 25-year period. 

Located on the corner of Geelong and Ballarat Roads, the new Footscray Hospital will be replacing the existing hospital on Gordon Street from the 1950s. 

Set to become the State’s largest ever health infrastructure investment, the new facility will provide: 

• At least 504 inpatient beds (including same-day, multi-day, critical care, sub-acute, drug and alcohol, and mental health services) 
• Acute facilities (including an emergency department and mental health and alcohol and other drugs hub) 
• Specialist facilities (including cardiovascular/angiographic, operating theatres, procedural and endoscopy spaces and associated recovery spaces) 
• Clinical support spaces (including medical imaging, pharmacy, central sterile services department, outpatients, mortuary and pathology) 
• Car parking to cater for patients, visitors, staff and other hospital users 
• Teaching, training and research spaces 

The new health facility will enable care for an additional 15,000 patients as well as an extra 20,000 people to be accommodated by the emergency department each year. 

Construction of the new Footsrcay Hospital will commence immediately after the contract is awarded to the consortium and the project is expected to create up to 2,000 jobs during its construction and operational phases. 

The new health facility is due to be open in 2025. 

Source: Multiplex; Victorian Health and Human Services – Building Authority (1, 2); Architecture AU; The Construction Index; Inside Construction