LUXURY ON THE LEVEL

by Pasco Construction Solutions Pty Ltd

Epworth Hospital in Geelong, a luxury facility offering comprehensive healthcare to the region, received critical care in its hard landscaping design to ensure a long-term prognosis of durability. Opened in July 2016, Epworth Hospital Geelong is a $277 million facility located on 10 hectares in Geelong, Victoria.

A comprehensive acute and rehabilitation private hospital, Epworth Geelong integrates clinical practice with teaching and research. The 170-bed facility has an emergency department, seven operating theatres, four birthing suites, and a six-bed ICU. An Epworth HealthCare spokesman claims, “Once fully operational, the hospital is expected to treat more than 46,000 patients annually and employ more than 700 fulltime staff.”

“The plush hospital will offer cancer and renal treatment services to public as well as private patients. Complex neurosurgery – previously unavailable in Geelong – will also be performed at the quarter-billion dollar hospital.”

A truly unique design, the Epworth Hospital provides the look and feel of an opulent hotel – a tact many hospitals are taking these days in a bid to move beyond a sterile and impersonal environment to provide a more comfortable space that promotes faster recovery and long-term wellbeing.

No expense was been spared on this seven storey building. Vast areas of the construction were completed in sandstone and granite, while curved glass offers staff and patients 180 degree views of the surrounding area. A far cry from the fluorescent lighting and linoleum flooring of old, the nurses’ stations are made from Italian marble, and luxurious wallpaper, carpets and fabrics are offset with attractive ambient lighting. On the hospital’s ground floor sits a heated pool and central atrium with a grand staircase, surrounded by landscaped courtyards and gardens.

Pasco’s award-winning Buzon Pedestals were chosen for the Epworth Hospital Geelong project by architectural firm Silver Thomas Hanley, to assist in creating the large paved public pedestrian courtyards and plaza areas, as well as a series of terraces for public, patient and staff use.

Concrete slabs with integrated falls were waterproofed using a liquid applied polyurethane membrane. Contracting firm Baron Forge were then engaged to install 1400m2 of 500 x 500 x 30mm granite pavers using Buzon Pedestals ranging between 75mm - 285mm high.

Designed for use with pavers, timber or steel grating, Buzon pedestals are used to create raised floors on balconies, terraces, green roofs, temporary floors and water features. They allow builders to conceal services and offer easy access for maintenance of waterproofing membranes.

A level floor finish is ensured due to the patented slope-correcting device, and interchangeable space tabs accommodate gaps between pavers for positive drainage, air ventilation and to prevent ponding, which reduces slip risk. The multi-faceted Buzon Pedestal supports ensure a high-end and safe finish.

In addition to assisting in the creation of a level and functional space, Buzon Pedestals reduce the weight bearing loads on concrete slabs, by eliminating screeding and sand/cement beds for pavers and tiles. The pedestals improve thermal insulation, and have soundproofing benefits for green roofs, multi-storey apartments, hotel terraces and balconies.

Buzon Pedestals are manufactured from 80 percent recycled polypropylene and are 100 percent recyclable. Designed, manufactured and tested in Belgium, Buzon Pedestals have been used on projects all over the world.

“Having been presented with a couple of alternative products for the installation of the pavers at the Epworth Hospital, Geelong, we selected the Buzon Pedestal as the most appropriate for the project,” says Murray O’Donnell, Senior Site Manager for Developers Brookfield Multiplex.

“The installation was critical as it was on a waterproofing membrane over the hospital’s wards and operating theatres, so we needed the best product for the job. Due to the large amount of pedestrian traffic that the area will be exposed to, we needed a product with maximum loading capabilities.”

O’Donnel notes, “We were extremely happy with our choice as the process from approval to completion of installation was extremely easy and seamless, assisting us in meeting our deadlines.”

CONTACT

Pasco Construction Solutions

P  03 9429 9111
sales@pasco.net.au
W www.pasco.net.au

PROJECT PARTICULARS

Client | Epworth HealthCare
Architects | Silver | Thomas Hanley
Builder | Brookfield Multiplex
Paving Construction | Baron Forge
Buzon Supply | Pasco Construction Solutions



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