Northside Hospital Canberra

MBM Project Lead

James Larkin

Client Name

Multiplex Australasia

Sector

Health & Research

Timeline

2025 - Ongoing

Project Value

Over $1bn

MBM Project Team

  • James Larkin – Director
  • Rob Harries – Associate
  • Charmaine Resos – Executive Quantity Surveyor

Services Provided

MBM supported the North Canberra Hospital project during the VECI and ECI phases by providing cost planning, value engineering, and risk assessment services to help align the design with budget, enhance buildability, and support informed decision-making prior to construction.

Project Background and Scope

The New North Canberra Hospital is a significant redevelopment project located on the site of the former Calvary Public Hospital in Bruce. Following the ACT Government’s compulsory acquisition of the Calvary Hospital in May 2023, the new facility will be publicly owned and operated by Canberra Health Services. The project aims to enhance healthcare delivery for Canberra’s northern population by replacing outdated infrastructure with a modern, purpose-built hospital environment.

The scope of works includes the demolition of existing buildings, followed by the design and construction of a new acute hospital and dedicated mental health facility. The project also includes the delivery of a 600-space car park and significant upgrades to the surrounding road network to improve site access and traffic flow. Once complete, North Canberra Hospital will play a key role in meeting the region’s growing healthcare demands through expanded capacity and integrated services

Project Challenges

The North Canberra Hospital project faced multiple complexities requiring careful management and innovative solutions, including:

  • Legacy site constraints requiring staged demolition and construction on an active health campus
  • Tight government budget limits for a large, complex hospital project
  • Accelerated program driven by political and service delivery timelines
  • Complex design integration of mental health, acute care, and support services
  • Need to align diverse stakeholder interests, including government, clinicians, and community

MBM Solutions

To overcome these challenges, MBM implemented a range of targeted strategies to control costs, enhance buildability, and support effective stakeholder collaboration:

  • Early cost planning and benchmarking to ensure budget realism
  • Value engineering workshops to optimize costs while maintaining clinical outcomes
  • Constructability advice to support efficient staging and demolition sequencing
  • Risk-based estimating with contingencies for site and design uncertainties
  • Transparent cost reporting to facilitate informed decision-making among stakeholders