Transforming St Vincent’s Private Hospital with a Comprehensive Landscape and Facility Revamp
St Vincent’s Private Hospital
Toowoomba City | Queensland | Australia
project team
Client | St Vincent’s Private Hospital
Builder | Hutchinson Builders
Architect | Pulse Architecture
Civil Engineer | ADG Engineers
Photography | Rickards Photography
revitalizing healthcare and green spaces for a better patient experience
As the largest private hospital on the Darling Downs, with 191 beds, this vital healthcare facility serves patients from across South West Queensland. Originally built with two buildings, the hospital has continuously evolved through extensive renovations over the years.
This latest redevelopment introduces a significant new wing on the southern side of the hospital, along with a revitalized carpark and expanded Emergency area, further enhancing its capacity to provide world-class care to the growing community.
optimizing carpark and outdoor facilities for patient convenience
A key component of the redevelopment was to enhance the car park area with a focus on providing quality landscape design that promotes comfort and a welcoming atmosphere. Citicene’s design incorporated shading through the strategic placement of trees, ensuring that patients, visitors, and staff are shielded from the harsh Queensland sun.
These trees not only provide shade but also contribute to the overall aesthetics and environmental sustainability of the site. The design considered the harsh climate conditions in Toowoomba, including frost and drought tolerance. Appropriate species were selected to thrive in these conditions, such as resilient trees and shrubs that would reduce maintenance while ensuring a sustainable, eco-friendly landscape.
integrating the new landscape with the existing context
An important goal of the redevelopment was to seamlessly integrate the new landscape with the existing hospital environment. Citicene worked closely with the project team to ensure that the landscape design respected and enhanced the character of the original site, blending the new medical wing and parking areas with the surrounding environment.
This approach preserved the hospital’s established green spaces and visual appeal, ensuring a cohesive and functional landscape that would continue to support the hospital’s operations for years to come. Through careful planning, the retention of significant trees and protection of street trees along Herries Street was prioritized. This provided not only ecological benefits but also contributed to maintaining the sense of place within the community.
collaboration with architect, civil consultant, and builder
Successful delivery of the project was made possible through seamless coordination with the architect, civil consultant, and builder – Hutchinson Builders. Citicene’s role involved extensive collaboration with these teams to ensure that the landscape design complemented the hospital’s architectural vision and operational needs. This included aligning landscape elements with the civil works and structural requirements to ensure that the outdoor spaces were functional, sustainable, and aligned with the hospital’s long-term goals.
Working closely with Hutchinson Builders during construction allowed Citicene to address any challenges on-site and ensure that the design vision was fully realized, resulting in a landscape that both enhances the hospital’s aesthetic and improves the patient experience.