Construction soars on VCCC Project

Victorian Government Media Release

MELBOURNE, VICTORIA - The new $1 billion Victorian Comprehensive Cancer Centre (VCCC) Project has started to soar upwards with construction works hitting street level.

Visiting the construction site to inspect progress today, Minister for Health David Davis celebrated the “breaking of street level” milestone that marks the completion of the project’s six basement levels.

“Last time I visited the site in March this year, excavation was complete with an enormous 300,000 square metres of dirt coming out of the ground and the first concrete pours for the basement were taking place,” Mr Davis said.

“Just seven months later this facility has reached ground level and the building structure is one third complete.

“Over the next few months the facility’s 13-floor above-ground superstructure will start to rise upwards and take shape and will be visible to passers by.”

Mr Davis said the six basement levels now complete include car parking, plant and equipment and eight radiation therapy bunkers.

“Each of the eight bunkers is approximately 10 metres long and 15 metres wide and designed to house a linear accelerator machine used in the treatment of cancer,” Mr Davis said.

“Around 7,000 cubic metres of concrete, 1,069 tonnes of steel reinforcement – enough to construct a 20 storey apartment building – and 1,100 tonnes of 200mm thick plate steel has been used in the construction of the bunkers.”

Mr Davis said this $1 billion facility purpose-built for cancer research, treatment, care and education will provide a brand new home for the Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre and new cancer research and clinical service space for Melbourne Health.

“It will also provide new cancer research facilities for the University of Melbourne and new education facilities for all of these building partners,” Mr Davis said.

“Construction of this project is on time, on budget and on track to be operational in 2016.”

There are currently 250 workers on site and we are approaching 1,000,000 hours worked.

Mr Davis said the project is expected to create 500 new full-time equivalent jobs, including 50 new trade apprenticeships, and retain 3,100 full-time equivalent jobs.

“The average number of workers on site will be 700 over the four years of construction, peaking at about 1,100,” Mr Davis said.

“Offsite resources involved in support industries, including design and manufacturing, is expected to average 2,500 people for the project duration.”

The VCCC Project is jointly funded by the Victorian and Commonwealth Governments, with contributions from member organisations, the sale of surplus land and philanthropic donations.

The new facility is being delivered as a public-private partnership (PPP), led by the Plenary Health Consortium, under the Victorian Government’s Partnerships Victoria Policy.

The lead parties within the Plenary Health Consortium are the Plenary Group as sponsor and investor, Grocon and PCL as the builder in a joint venture and Honeywell as the facilities/maintenance manager.

Executive Director, Communications
+61 3 8888 7754
+61 418 530 806
chris.whitefield@plenary.com