The Nepean Hospital redevelopment in Kingswood, New South Wales (NSW), Australia, a project exceeding $1bn, has achieved a significant milestone with the initial concrete pour for a seven-storey building.

Part of the NSW government's initiative, the redevelopment aims to enhance hospital services for the Penrith and Blue Mountains communities in the state.

It is being delivered in two stages, with the first stage involving the development of a 14-storey hospital tower completed in 2022.

The new structure is part of the redevelopment project’s second stage and will connect to the tower, offering expanded services such as an intensive care unit, medical imaging, and an in-centre renal dialysis unit.

It will also provide more in-patient beds, including paediatrics, education and training spaces, and a new reception area.

Aligning with the World Class End of Life Care programme, a palliative care unit will be established on the seventh floor.

Health Infrastructure senior project director Adrian Timp said: “The first concrete pour onsite is always an exciting moment for our redevelopment team because it sets the foundations for the building’s concrete and steel structure and means we will steadily start to see it rise out of the ground over the coming months. 

"This is the first of over 60 concrete pours to create eight floor slabs for the building, which will include a plant room on the rooftop. Over the coming months, approximately 1,400 concrete trucks will transport 12,000 cubic tonnes of concrete onto the site.”

All construction activities at the site comply with stringent SafeWork NSW requirements, including regular monitoring of dust, noise, and vibration to ensure safety standards are maintained.