Interstate design firm BLP replaces Woods Bagot as fears raised for W & CH cost blowouts
Fears of cost blowouts in a massive South Australian hospital project are being raised as the government snubs local designers.
SA News
Don't miss out on the headlines from SA News. Followed categories will be added to My News.
A new interstate-led design team has been officially appointed to the $3.2bn Women’s and Children’s Hospital project after the surprise ending of Woods Bagot’s work on “stage one”.
The state Opposition welcomed the news but feared it would lead to cost blowouts after the project “had been left rudderless for months”.
Health spokesperson Ashton Hurn could not “understand how the government can look South Australians in the eye and say with a straight face that this project will be delivered on time and on budget”.
Treasurer Stephen Mullighan assured the mammoth hospital project was on budget and tracking on time for a 2031 completion during the State Budget released last week.
His commitment was backed by Health Minister Chris Picton on Saturday.
Mr Picton said interstate-based Billard Leece Partnership (BLP) and architectural firm Bates Smart would work with Adelaide’s Grieve Gillett Architects and landscape architects Tayor Cullity Lethlean designing the main clinical building.
The decision followed the February appointment of Tom Kirkland, former chief executive of the Victorian School Building Authority, as project director after Brendan Hewitt quit to spend time with family.
Woods Bagot had been working with Bates Smart, Jacobs and BDP on “stage one” of the project but the government halted its involvement and embarked on a months-long search for new designers.
Mr Picton said the government received advice from the project executive steering committee “that we should go to market and test we have the best possible architecture team to go to the next stage.”
He pointed out that Aurecon, LUCID Consulting Engineers and BR+A Consulting Engineers were SA businesses who would lead the building services engineering.
While WGA and KBR would lead “the structural and civil engineering design for the main clinical building”.
BLP principal Tracy Lord said “we are excited to contribute to this significant project shaping healthcare across South Australia” and the company looked forward “to some of us moving to Adelaide”.
Mr Picton also released ramping figures showing SA ambulances spent 4,791 hours on hospital ramps in May – on par with last May.
Ms Hurn said Premier Peter Malinauskas had told South Australians at the last election that he would “fix” ramping and “he is falling desperately short”.
More Coverage
Originally published as Interstate design firm BLP replaces Woods Bagot as fears raised for W & CH cost blowouts
Influencer girlfriend reacts to autopsy result for Aussie lover
An autopsy has been released after the sudden death of Australian businessman Alan McKenna sparked a flurry of accusations against his glamorous social media influencer girlfriend.
Outrage erupts over SA housing crisis private land seizure bill
A bill claiming to ease housing crisis pressures has been met with backlash for the lack of legal “checks and balances”, which would allow the government to seize private land.