Premier Welcomes Key Milestone At Blacktown Hospital
10.11.14NSW Premier Mike Baird and Health Minister Jillian Skinner have visited Blacktown Hospital to mark a major construction milestone at the largest health infrastructure project underway in the State.
Premier Baird and Minister Skinner took part in a 'topping out' ceremony on the roof of the seven-storey Clinical Services Building – the centrepiece of the $322 million Stage 1 Blacktown Mount Druitt Hospital redevelopment, being delivered by Laing O'Rourke.
Last year I stood at this site with Jillian to see the earth being prepared for construction. In just over a year, [Laing O'Rourke has] reached the top of this building.
THE HON. MIKE BAIRD MPPREMIER OF NSW
The seven-storey Stage 1 redevelopment will include 170 extra beds, centres for cancer, cardiac, respiratory medicine and aged care.
THE HON. JILLIAN SKINNER MPNSW MINISTER FOR HEALTH
The ceremony featured a lilly pilly bush covered with handwritten notes of support from staff, patients, volunteers and visitors. It will be planted in the hospital grounds when the project is completed in 2016, while the handwritten notes will form part of Blacktown Hospital’s innovative art projects.
The Premier, Health Minister, local MPs and hospital officials oversaw the pouring of the last concrete to complete the structure of the facility.
Laing O'Rourke - last month voted Australia's 8th most innovative company - is delivering Blacktown Hospital more safely and efficiently through its Design for Manufacture and Assembly (DfMA) approach.
Prefabricated riser modules, prefabricated facade panels and 164 fully modular bathroom pods are being 'plugged in' to the project during its construction.