Royal Melbourne Hospital and Royal Women’s Hospital Master Plan

The power of collaboration drove a unique master plan aiming to unlock a new future for Melbourne’s historic Royal Melbourne and Royal Women’s Hospitals within a world-leading biomedical precinct.

The Victorian Health Building Authority (VHBA) presented a unique opportunity for Hassell to undertake a master plan for the Royal Melbourne Hospital (RMH) and Royal Women’s Hospital (The Women’s) existing Parkville (City campus) site and the Arden urban renewal precinct (Arden precinct).

A significant and ambitious master plan and feasibility study, the project enhances and supports Melbourne Health and the Royal Women’s Hospital as one of the leading public healthcare providers in the delivery of a comprehensive range of acute, subacute and community-based health services to metropolitan Melbourne and wider Victoria.

EXPANDING MELBOURNE’S BIOMEDICAL HUB 

In 2020, the Victorian Government identified the Arden urban renewal precinct as a major urban renewal project in Melbourne’s inner north-west. As one of the government’s priority precincts, Arden was ideally placed to become an international innovation and technology hub.

The Women’s and RMH City campus site (Parkville) is in the centre of the world-renowned Melbourne Biomedical Precinct. The upcoming Metro Tunnel will create a fast transit link between the Arden and Parkville areas. This connection created a chance for the Women’s and RMH to establish a new location at Arden, which aimed to help revitalise the district and at the time of planning in 2020, extend the impressive scope of Melbourne’s Biomedical Precinct.

The potential to relocate some current services at Parkville to the Arden site aimed to enable the repurposing or redevelopment of the Parkville facilities. The Arden precinct redevelopment also provided a valuable opportunity to incorporate innovations in care delivery and technology.

THE POWER OF COLLABORATIVE PLANNING 

In 2020, VHBA appointed Hassell + McBride Charles Ryan as principal consultants to lead a multidisciplinary team in developing a master plan and feasibility study on both the Parkville and Arden sites. The principal purpose of which was to support the associated business cases being delivered under the direction of consulting firm, EY.

In 2022, Hassell was appointed to complete the yield studies for the Western Building at Parkville. To advance the project smoothly, an innovative approach to stakeholder engagement was developed by engaging clinical staff in iterative design sessions, previewing materials, and ensuring consistent, clear communication throughout the master planning process.

This approach was vital for reaching essential project milestones, especially given its evolving plans, numerous stakeholder groups, and the unpredictable COVID-19 situation. It minimised the burden on those involved, helping our design team navigate complex approvals and manage our output for smooth transitions between phases.

FUTURE DIRECTION

In 2024, the Victorian Government announced that it would develop a single site in Parkville. The full scope of the project is still under review.