Dulux was engaged by BVN Architects in 2014 to assist with the design of the Northern Beaches Hospital. The client, Healthscope, sought to build the first Green Star hospital in NSW with a 4-Star As-Built rating.

With the Manly and Mona Vale hospitals having opened many decades ago, and the healthcare needs of the Northern Beaches community having changed significantly since then, a major investment in new health infrastructure was required to ensure the local community had access to high-quality healthcare into the future.

CPB Contractors was engaged by Healthscope in 2015 to construct the first hospital to be built on a greenfield site in Sydney in 20 years. Officially opened to the public in October 2018, the $600m Northern Beaches Hospital features 488 beds, state-of-the-art emergency department with a medical centre, 14 operating theatres, mental health facilities, a helipad, and 1400 car spaces in a 9-storey car park.

To meet the client’s Green Star requirements, the paint finishes needed to meet both low VOC rating and stringent clinical cleaning cycles. Another important part of the design brief was the need to adhere decals to the painted walls.

Dulux Steriguard Durable Low Sheen was specified for the bathrooms and patient rooms and Dulux Steriguard Ultra for dry labs, operating theatres, ACU, walkways and areas titled ‘high prevention infection areas’.

Dulux Wash and Wear Matt was used on large expanses of the public and lobby spaces to cater for the decals while the Dulux Fast Finish range was used for the undercoat and ceiling applications.

Dulux Powders Electro range was specified and used on the façade of the 9-storey car park.

Benefits of Dulux solutions

Dulux Steriguard was developed in conjunction with Bayer Material Science to deliver a low odour, easy-to-clean, low VOC and hardwearing solution for healthcare and aged care facilities.

Working with paint contractors Fine Touch, Dulux paint systems were applied as ‘fit for purpose’ and to also meet the architects’ aesthetic goals. Dulux Steriguard delivered the aesthetic appeal of a low gloss finish while meeting Green Star benchmarks for broad wall paint and ultimately giving the ‘infection prevention’ coating required for particular spaces.

Dulux Fast Finish allowed the paint contractors to save time and costs by applying the undercoat and ceiling paint in one application, while meeting VOC requirements.

The need to meet colour, aesthetics and council solar reflectivity requirements was important in the choice of Dulux Electro range of powder finishes. Five colours from the range were chosen, each with a 20-year warranty.

Committed to providing best-in-class solutions for every individual project, Dulux Group ensures sustainability and performance are the key drivers for any new product development.

The Northern Beaches Hospital is testimony to the collaboration between BVN, Healthscope, CPB Contractors, Fine Touch and Dulux to deliver a world-class project in NSW.