Toowoomba Hospital

The largest regional hospital in the Darling Downs Health network, providing acute, specialist, and emergency services to communities across South West Queensland. As a key regional facility, it plays a central role in delivering public healthcare for both urban and rural populations.

Originally constructed in 1880, Toowoomba Hospital has undergone significant expansion and modernisation to meet the growing needs of the region. The site now comprises multiple buildings offering a wide range of clinical and support services, including maternity, mental health, surgical, and specialist outpatient care.

Due to the hospital’s ongoing operational demands and ageing infrastructure, building compliance upgrades have been phased across various programs of work. Fire engineering solutions have been critical in supporting these staged upgrades, particularly in managing existing non-compliances, interface with heritage buildings, and the integration of modern systems within legacy structures. Ensuring continuity of service delivery during construction has also been a key consideration, requiring coordination with hospital stakeholders and service providers to minimise disruption to patient care.

WSce was engaged to provide full design development documentation for hydraulics, external fire hydrant systems, and site water connections as part of the $1.3 billion redevelopment of Toowoomba Hospital. As one of the largest and most complex health projects in the CEP program, the scope required detailed coordination across new infrastructure and existing hospital facilities.

The project involved a fast-tracked delivery schedule, integration with legacy systems, and careful management of ongoing operations to ensure uninterrupted healthcare services. A change in government midway through delivery introduced revised design requirements following a 100-day health review, requiring WSCE to adapt and respond swiftly to evolving project objectives.