Sydney Children’s Hospital Stage 1 and Minderoo Children’s Comprehensive Cancer Centre

The NSW Government’s Sydney Children’s Hospital Stage 1 and Minderoo Children’s Comprehensive Cancer Centre (SCH1/MCCCC) project saw the construction of a new, 12-storey hospital and research centre building. The state-of-the-art facility includes a paediatric emergency department, short stay unit, expanded and relocated clinical spaces, as well as a comprehensive cancer centre featuring modern research and clinical collaboration areas. Purposefully designed to foster seamless integration between research and clinical care, the new building also provides direct links and collaborative opportunities with adjacent health facilities, including the Prince of Wales Hospital Acute Services Building and the University of NSW Health Translation Hub, further enhancing the Randwick Health and Innovation Precinct’s capacity for advanced paediatric care and research.Jensen Hughes served as the fire safety engineer for this landmark development. Our expert team devised a range of performance solutions, optimising fire compartmentation, smoke hazard management, and occupant evacuation provisions. Each solution was tailored to address the unique operational and clinical demands of a paediatric healthcare environment, ensuring both safety and functionality at every level.In close collaboration with stakeholders, we developed a comprehensive fire safety strategy that not only supported the functional needs of staff, research, and collaborative spaces, but also enabled efficient interfacing with the adjacent buildings. This strategic approach facilitated NSW Health’s vision for an integrated hospital precinct, all while maintaining uncompromising standards of fire safety throughout the new facility.The successful delivery of the SCH1/MCCCC project sets a new benchmark for paediatric healthcare infrastructure. The facility’s advanced design, seamless integration with neighbouring health institutions, and robust fire safety performance solutions demonstrate what is possible when innovation and expertise are prioritised in design and construction.