Construction begins on Adelaide's Flinders Medical Centre

Early works have commenced on the major upgrade and expansion of the Flinders Medical Centre in Adelaide.

The Flinders Medical Centre project involves establishing a new 98-bed Acute Services Building that will also function as the main entrance to the hospital. Designed by ARM Architecture and Silver Thomas Hanley, the building will accommodate two 32-bed adult inpatient units, an 18-bed day medical unit, a 16-bed intensive care unit with a CT scanner suite, four operating theatres, a 14-bay recovery area, a surgery admissions area and a designated floor for opthalmology procedures.

ARM director Jesse Judd said the basis for the design approach was to create a healing environment that places the patient at the centre of design. "By focusing on people - empathising with patients, their families, and healthcare staff - the redevelopment creates environments that are intuitive, responsive and comforting," said Judd, adding that the interiors have been designed to "evoke the warmth and familiarity of home, transforming impersonal clinical spaces into nurturing environments that inspire healing and hope."

The design of the facade aims to echo the layered forms, patterns and colours of Adelaides's geological landscape. "Conceived as a rock face with an abstracted expression of stratified rock running down its surface, the building serves as a vibrant and prominent entrance to the Flinders Hospital campus. This design approach opens opportunities for artist commissions and community engagement, adding further layers of storytelling that strengthen the building's connection to its context and foster a sense of local pride and ownership," said Judd.

The Acute Services Building is slated to open in 2028.