World-class mental health facility reaches completion

The project has delivered a state-of-the-art facility adjacent to the operational Ipswich Hospital campus, bolstering the local healthcare network, and contributing to improved accessibility and a higher standard of care for the greater Ipswich community.

BESIX Watpac has delivered the project to the highest standard, helping bring West Moreton Health and the architect’s vision to life for this high-quality mental health unit. The facility maximises the use of natural light and internal green spaces, as well as create an environment that encourages social connections with staff and visitors.

Wade Cummins, BESIX Watpac’s General Manager for QLD, NT and NZ said the project’s successful completion demonstrated the company’s capabilities within the health sector as well as its commitment to operational excellence.

“The completion of the project would not be possible without the effort and experience of our Queensland team and their commitment to working closely with our client Queensland Health and subcontractors throughout the project,” Wade said.

“I’m really proud to see the quality achieved by our delivery team. Even more so when I receive feedback by leaders in the health sector about how impressive the new mental health unit is and the high level of service that can be offered to the community.”

Spanning 8,410m² over three storeys, the 64-bed acute, high dependency mental health unit includes visitor reception, administration, and plant areas on ground level.

Not only did the BESIX Watpac team deliver an excellent facility, our collaborative approach was critical to the projects’ success – an example being the installation of the link bridge that connects to the existing hospital.

BESIX Watpac Project Manager Brett Rosenthal said the team worked closely with subcontractors and the client to deliver this element of the project.

“The bridge installation was an important element of the project, and it also presented some significant challenges,” Brett said.

“We closed part of the main road to the hospital to accomplish the bridge installation – we originally required three days to do this. Through collaboration with our subbies and client we improved our methodology and extended working hours to be able to deliver the install of the bridge ahead of schedule in two days as opposed to the original three.”