When a regional hospital struggled to meet service demands, and its operations were causing delays, it needed a new approach to its health campus design.

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Challenge

Faced with increasing service demands, rising costs and an inflexible master plan, a local government was struggling to gain traction on funding and approvals for a regional hospital campus redevelopment. Short-term pressures were accumulating, and the existing plan was expensive, inflexible and lacked the agility to respond to future healthcare needs. To navigate this complexity, Chow:Hill reimagined the master planning process, shifting from a static plan to a strategic, future-focused framework that could evolve with the hospital’s priorities.

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Our approach

Working in collaboration with our strategic partners, we conducted a comprehensive review of the hospital’s infrastructure, facilities and projected patient service demand. This included an assessment of demographic growth, clinical trends, and regional health priorities to identify key areas for early investment. Through practical stakeholder engagement, we collaborated with clinicians, management, and operational teams to confirm service priorities and translate clinical service plans into detailed spatial requirements and area schedules. These were benchmarked against international best-practice health design standards to determine alignment with global expectations of patient care and efficiency.

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Outcomes

We applied an adaptable design approach using standardised modular elements. The team developed several master plan options with staging phases that balanced affordability with urgency and long-term flexibility. Following a rigorous evaluation process, a preferred solution was selected, allowing for phased, scalable development over time while meeting urgent operational needs. The result was a robust site master plan that positioned the hospital for realistic redevelopment, enabled the early delivery of critical facilities and secured funding. The plan provides a practical, future-ready framework for capital investment decisions, and allows ongoing refinement as patient needs and service models evolve.

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