Construction Specialties - C/S  has supplied expansion joints, corner guards as well as wall and door protection to a unique children’s hospital construction project in Melbourne that represents a collaboration of Australia’s leading building materials companies.  

Royal Melbourne Children’s Hospital, one of Australia’s biggest health infrastructure investments will open to the public in December 2011.  

The $900-million project has employed cutting edge products designed specifically for the Australian hospital market.  

Bovis Lend Lease Project Engineer, Mr. Jay Garoni worked with architectural joint partners Billard Leece and Bates Smart in design and building procurement.  

He says that one of the hospital’s biggest achievements is the sophisticated specification and selection of building materials to withstand the rigours of a hospital environment while ensuring the ongoing health of patients, staff and visitors.  

Mr. Garoni comments that the needs of hospitals are unique compared to other commercial projects since the former requires robust, long lasting materials with high impact performance and minimal maintenance.  

Most of the materials were procured locally to support the Australian building industry while achieving a good balance with price and availability.  

Construction Specialties (CS) supplied expansion joints and Acrovyn corner guards as well as wall and door protection to protect the venue’s walls and internal lining from damage or building movement.    

According to Mr. Garoni, Acrovyn was specified based on its track record of performance in the hospital environment in addition to long-lasting and hard-wearing qualities as well as a long-term warranty.    

Acrovyn products could also be easily customised to achieve different looks in different areas of the hospital. Five main colours and several different shapes were selected to suit various functional and design requirements.  

Acrovyn’s scuff resistance makes it ideal for most heavy duty clinical areas that are subject to regular damage from sharp and heavy forces such as electric trolleys and heavy medical equipment.  

Expansion joints also easily met traffic load and engineer movement specifications while offering the unique design benefit of maintaining the hygiene of the hospital by solving the problem of dirt and liquid build-up inside the joint.

General Manager of Construction Specialties, Bill Maloukis says CS expansion joints are designed to prevent structural damage from building movement and feature a unique protective layer at the top of the system, preventing water or materials from getting through.  

Mr. Maloukis adds that the biggest benefit offered by CS expansion joints to the Royal Melbourne Children’s Hospital is the ‘dual durometer’ hygiene seal.  

CS expansion joints sit completely flush against the floor and walls, helping hospital traffic move smoothly, while the slimline construction fits in with the interior design requirements.  

Over 3000m² of CS Acrovyn wall and door protection, and 1500 metres of CS expansion joints were used in the Royal Melbourne Children’s Hospital project.  

Construction Specialties has supplied their expansion joints as well as wall and door protection for dozens of major hospital developments over the past 12 months, underlining the contribution of the building industry in offering highly specific solutions for the unique requirements of the hospital environment.