Site Visit | 4 May 2026 | Frankston, VIC 

By Dr Sanaz Memari, AHDC Committee Member and Research Lead

1. Project Overview and Design Philosophy

The site visit offered an in-depth look at the $1.1 billion Peninsula University Hospital campus development, a landmark Public-Private Partnership (PPP) delivered by the Exemplar Health consortium, including Lendlease, Bates Smart, and Architectus. Formally opened in January 2026, the project features a new 12-storey clinical services tower, with capacity for 130 additional beds, and 15 new operating theatres.

A central theme of the design is ‘Healing Country, Healing People’, which was developed through extensive consultation with the local community and Aboriginal groups. This philosophy is embedded in the hospital’s wayfinding, where each level relates to a specific local landscape or story. The architecture utilises a naturalistic palette, including terracotta and porcelain facades designed to filter light and respond to the coastal environment.

2. Tour Highlights by Department

Mental Health and Wellbeing (Level 6):

The Mental Health and Wellbeing Unit, with 44 beds, represents a significant shift in clinical care by eliminating seclusion and mechanical restraints.  Key design features include:

• Safety and Dignity: Every patient has a private room with an ensuite and views of natural light. Access is managed via wristband technology, contributing to safety and security.

• Clinical Innovation: The unit includes specialised treatment rooms for physical deterioration, reducing the need to transfer patients to the Emergency Department or other wards.

• Recreation: Large internal courtyards provide fresh air and include amenities like a basketball ring and gym equipment.

• Discreet Admissions: A ‘hot lift’ from the basement provides a secure, private entrance for patients arriving via ambulance or police maintaining dignity and privacy.

• Multiple spaces for a range of occupations: Activity of Daily Living kitchen to support cooking related activities, computers in all lounge spaces, gyms, sensory rooms, reflective rooms and group rooms are situated across the floor plan allowing for engagement in a range of meaningful occupations supporting recovery.

Staff Amenities and Future Expansion (Level 4)

The tour highlighted the hospital's focus on staff wellbeing. Level 4 serves as a dedicated hub where staff can take breaks away from public and patient areas. This floor features:

• Indoor/Outdoor Break Spaces: Multiple courtyards, winter gardens and beverage bays allow staff to gather and ‘recharge’

• Future-Proofing: Large areas of the 4th and 7th floors are currently ‘cold shell’ spaces, designed to accommodate the hospital's clinical service projections through 2036, including a potential future ICU expansion.

Maternity and Oncology (Levels 5 and 8)

• Maternity (Level 5): This floor includes a pregnancy assessment unit and special care nursery. The design uses a ‘side-to-side’ patient flow model and includes negative-pressure rooms on every level to enhance infection control.

• Oncology (Level 8): The chemotherapy day therapy unit is designed as an open, vibrant environment to encourage communication between patients and staff during treatment. Patient rooms include pull-out beds to allow relatives or friends to stay overnight.

3. Clinical Logistics and Connectivity

The redevelopment required unpicking more than 80 years of "jammed together" buildings. A complex "spaghetti junction" of bridges connects the new tower to existing facilities on levels 2, 3, and 4, ensuring access to services like the ICU and labs, which remain nearby in the older buildings.

Stage 2 of the project is currently underway. This phase involves the refurbishment of existing spaces into offices, clinic spaces and a new kitchen. A community centre and childcare facility will also be constructed on Hastings Road, with completion expected by 2028. Staff noted that the new facility has vastly improved the quality of equipment and physical space available for both staff and patients, ultimately improving patient care.

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Thank you to everyone who joined us for the Peninsula University Hospital Site Visit in May. Our thanks to VIDA Health, Capella Capital, Honeywell, Compass Group, Lendlease, Bates Smart and Architectus for making the site visit possible.

Photography by Peter Clarke.