Australia’s top property honour has been awarded to the Victorian Heart Hospital, named the Rider Levett Bucknall Australian Development of the Year 2024 for its stunning heart-themed design and innovative construction.
Australia’s first state-of-the-art specialist cardiac hospital, nominated by John Holland, also took home the Woods Bagot Award for Best Public Building at the Property Council of Australia/Rider Levett Bucknall Innovation & Excellence Awards Gala dinner in Sydney on Wednesday 11 September.
The Innovation & Excellence awards program, which is now in its 42nd year in partnership with Rider Levett Bucknall (RLB), highlights ground-breaking innovations and exceptional leadership in Australia’s property industry.
Property Council Chief Executive Mike Zorbas said the project represented the property industry at its best: innovative, community-oriented and a model of design excellence.
Zorbas said: “The Innovation & Excellence Awards highlight iconic achievements that shape Australian cities, showcasing the industry’s best.
“The Victorian Heart Hospital, designed as a “hospital-in-a-park” with a distinctive weathered steel façade and heart themed design elements, is a glorious winner.
“This hospital is a vitally important piece of social infrastructure for Victorians. The John Holland team can be justly proud of this flagship community asset.”
The Victorian Heart Hospital, operated by Monash Health, now serves as the Victorian Heart Institute’s physical home, offering 6,000 square metres of mixed-use lab facilities, office space and dedicated areas for teaching and simulation.
The facility will annually accommodate 2,150 cardiac surgeries, 13,500 cardiac lab procedures, over 28,000 cardiac emergency presentations, 108,000 consultations and created over 1,700 jobs during construction.
The innovative lighting design is based on principles that aim to promote wellbeing through exposure to nature and an environment that supports wellbeing. The project also uses Circadian rhythm lighting in areas without natural light helping regulate sleep, enhance cognitive function and productivity.
Located on a greenfield site, the hospital avoided certain construction complexities but faced challenges in testing equipment and systems without a live environment. To address this, John Holland established an off-site ICT test lab with fibre optic connectivity for remote, live testing and full ICT integration.
The building minimises its environmental impact by leveraging natural climate conditions for resilient, energy-efficient heating and cooling, while reducing its carbon footprint with locally sourced materials.
RLB Managing Director Tony Moleta said the Victorian Heart Hospital provided benefit to a wide variety of stakeholders.
Moleta said: “Not just the patients who visit the facility for treatment, but also medical researchers, clinicians and health professionals of the future, who will work in this building to benefit patients and improve the heart health of communities throughout Australia.
“This iconic building provides innovative, holistic, patient-centred care, world-leading research and education. Congratulations to all those involved on such an excellent project.”
At the Gala dinner on Wednesday evening, Stephanie Petrevski from Charter Hall took home The APP Group Award for Future Leader of the Year.
John Holland was also awarded the Grosvenor Place Award for Diversity, Equity & Inclusion (more than 250 employees) while Placemaking NSW won the Grosvenor Place Award for Diversity, Equity & Inclusion (less than 250 employees) and TOGA Group’s Meanwhile Use at The Central Project took home the NBN Award for Product, Program or Service Innovation.
In collaboration with RLB since 1982, the prestigious awards have promoted excellence in design and innovation in the built environment. From 121 eligible finalists, the winners were selected by a high calibre judging panel made up of 19 property specialists and chaired by Adrian Harrington.
