THE NEW ROYAL ADELAIDE HOSPITAL, ADELAIDE

A complete Hilti solution for highly specified electrical fastenings

The Challenge

Upon completion, the $1.85 billion New Royal Adelaide Hospital will be the largest, most technologically advanced hospital in South Australia, and one of the most innovative in the country.

The 275,000 square metre hospital building sprawls across 10 hectares in the CBD and will boast state of the art facilities, including 700 single patient bedrooms with ensuite bathrooms, as well as 100 same-day beds. The structure consists of more than 100,000 cubic metres of reinforced and post-tensioned concrete, supported by over 2,000 piles.

One of the biggest challenges in the design was the stringent post-disaster requirement, meaning that the hospital needs to remain fully functional and operational in "island-mode" for 48 hours after a severe earthquake or other natural catastrophe. The building and most of the non-structural fixings are therefore required to meet high performance standards, including world-class anchor fastenings designed to withstand seismic activity.

The Solution

From 2013, Hilti has been working closely with Wallbridge & Gilbert and KBR, the leading structural and civil consultants on the project, to find the best anchoring solutions to meet these special requirements. A selection of our high performance anchors have been approved for use on site, utilising Hilti's international seismic approvals.

One of the biggest jobs after the superstructure's completion was the electrical and communication services package undertaken by Nilsen (SA) Pty Ltd. After identifying the special project requirements in early 2013, our local Hilti sales team and engineers worked closely with Nilsen to provide a solution for the enormous installation job, which involved more than 350 personnel.

Delivering a superior fastening solution didn't just end at specifying and supplying over 80,000 HSC undercutting safety anchors and 60,000 HUS screw anchors though. The process also had to comply with strict Health and Safety regulations, which included a dustless work environment. To assist with this, Nilsen signed up for a Hilti Fleet Management contract consisting of 297 tools, 240 of which were cordless.

By utilising a complete Hilti system of highly specified fixings, paired with outperforming power tools and leading edge services, the Nilsen teams have been able complete their job safely and efficiently while ensuring a high quality result.