Perth Surgicentre

Statement of Significance

• The place has some aesthetic value as a demonstration of the Late 20th Century organic style which is a landmark in the streetscape.
• The place has historic value for its association with the provision of medical services in Western Australia specifically the establishment of private day surgeries.
• The place has social value for the many members of the community, staff, patients and visitors who have attended the place since 1987.

Physical Description

The Perth Surgi-Centre is of reinforced concrete slab and frame construction with precast panels of concrete and compressed fibre. The glazing has reflective properties arranged as full height glass walls and horizontal bands of aluminium framed openings. There are also some panels of glass bricks.

The building is in two sections with the multi-level car park to the south east, arranged in an arc and provides ramped vehicular access to the main doors of the centre.

The main public access into the building is through the foyer on the south east elevation which is obscured from view from Meadowvale Avenue. The surgi-centre is designed in an “L” shape with the two long wings forming the north and west elevations. The shorter elevations are hidden elevations and form part of the entrance which has a stepped arrangement and a deep sheltered entrance.

A secondary entrance is located at ground floor level on the north elevation.

The array of suites along the northern aspect have reinforced concrete fins splayed back into the structure, with tubular steel balustrade and posts suggesting an element of sun screening. The stairs are expressed on the external faces of the building as projecting towers with glazed curtain wall and roofed with barrel vaults.

History

With changes in the practice of medicine in the 1980s, doctors were permitted to perform surgical procedures at day care centres. This led to the development of the Perth Surgicentre complex by two general practitioners. In the Perth Surgicentre, minor surgical procedures could be performed, with patients being able to return home the same day. The objective was to eliminate hospital stays where not required. To achieve this objective, strata-titled units were to be developed for the surgeons and anaesthetists for consulting and reception, with centralised theatre and recovery facilities for the day care patients.

Land was purchased in Ranelagh Crescent and the former brick and tile dwelling on the site was demolished in 1985. The original lot was subdivided, creating a site for grouped dwellings at the northern end facing the City, with the Perth Surgicentre site behind, to the south, elevated to take advantage of the views over the top of the dwellings on the residential site. The three-storey Perth Surgicentre was approved in 1985, and construction was completed in 1987. Whilst the Perth Surgicentre was one of the first day surgery centres to be planned in the Perth metropolitan area others were completed in the traditional medical specialist areas of West Perth and Leederville during the construction period.

Murray Cox, a former airline pilot and subsequently a building designer, was engaged to design the Perth Surgicentre. The design of the complex used reinforced concrete slab and frame with precast panels of concrete and compressed fibre providing the main building fabric. Panels of glass bricks were a feature of the design as was a common element in Cox's designs of the 1980s.

The ground floor of the main building contains parking and the day surgery with the foyer and reception area located on the first floor and suites around the perimeter and on the second floor. In 2017 the place underwent extensive internal renovation and reorganisation and now includes six theatres, an adult recovery and a dedicated paediatric recovery. The exterior of the building has not changed significantly since construction.

Integrity/Authenticity

High / High

Condition

Good

Uses

Historic Themes

Creation Date

Publish place record online (inHerit):

Last Update

Disclaimer

This information is provided voluntarily as a public service. The information provided is made available in good faith and is derived from sources believed to be reliable and accurate. However, the information is provided solely on the basis that readers will be responsible for making their own assessment of the matters discussed herein and are advised to verify all relevant representations, statements and information.