New Footscray Hospital, Melbourne officially opens to patients

Affectionately referred to as “the People’s Hospital”, the new $1.5bn Footscray Hospital in Melbourne’s west has officially opened to patients.

In a statement from the Premier of Victoria Jacinta Allan, from 8 am on 18 February (the day of its official opening), 180 patients transferred from the old hospital throughout the day, the old hospital ED closed and thousands of staff started their first shift in the new hospital, with services beginning including the ED, surgery, ICU, coronary care and mental health.

Image credit: Peter Bennetts

Image credit: Peter Bennetts

Delivered as a public–private partnership by Plenary Health consortium — with architects COX Architecture and Billard Leece Partnership — in partnership with the Victorian Government and Western Health, with Multiplex as the builder, the new hospital was a community-centred design project.

Image credit: Peter Bennetts

Image credit: Peter Bennetts

As one of Victoria’s largest ever health infrastructure investments, the hospital is conceived as a campus rather than a singular structure, with five interconnected buildings arranged around a central village green; the landscape forms the civic heart of the precinct, anchoring the site and providing a clear point of connection, gathering and orientation.

Image credit: Peter Bennetts

To learn more about the design of the hospital, click here.

Top image credit: Peter Bennetts