The Ministry of Health Holdings looked to a new hospital building to support Singapore’s increased healthcare demands and provide a connected healthcare campus. The Outram Community Hospital (OCH) is a 146,000m2 mixed-use development with 550 beds. The hospital is located between Singapore General Hospital and Outram Park Mass Rapid Transit station.

The OCH is the first development to launch in the first phase of the expansion and will play a major role in supporting Singapore’s increased healthcare demands.

We were commissioned in 2013 by the Ministry of Health Holdings to provide civil, structural, and facade engineering, geotechnics, and transport consulting for OCH.

OCH is a key rehabilitation centre that provides a seamless continuity of care for patients transiting between acute to sub-acute healthcare needs. OCH houses the Singapore General Hospital administration offices and the campus logistics hub, centralising logistics and facilitating movement of goods through the common services tunnels. 

Creating an integrated continuum of care

OCH is designed to minimise patient-transfer time from one facility to another, enhancing the continuum of care with the other campus facilities. Forming the backbone of this seamless and patient-centric experience are the several link bridges that we designed with the team. This includes a link bridge at Level 3, which involved using a cantilever to manoeuvre within the existing Block 1 of the main Singapore General Hospital building to connect to OCH. This link bridge facilitates the movement of patients from day surgeries and specialist care to recovery or rehabilitation care. 

Other link bridges between Singapore General Hospital and OCH form a continuous belt connecting all the healthcare facilities on campus.

Link bridge connecting buildings at Outram Community Hospital

We designed elevated link bridges for efficient patient movement between buildings

Improving campus accessibility

Our team was instrumental in creating two new roads and junctions, including a main trunk road, that connects and controls traffic flow and volume to all existing and future campus facilities. We examined the anticipated impact of OCH’s traffic on the surrounding road networks and carried out 3D simulation modelling on internal vehicle circulation within OCH. The road junctions were designed to operate at junction capacity, with control types analysed and remodelled to provide safe and efficient vehicular operations. Hospital Boulevard, the new main trunk road, serves to relief existing congestion and link all campus facilities from Jalan Bukit Merah towards Outram Road. Hospital Drive, the new arterial road, creates access to National Heart Centre and Outram Community Hospital, through to the main trunk road.

Exterior view of Outram Community Hospital

We created new roads and junctions to connect and control traffic into the campus

Designing a campus logistics network

We provided design input to the common services tunnel – a basement network linking to the campus logistics centre at OCH. This tunnel services and mobilises goods including patients’ meals and medical supplies through existing linkages with campus-wide buildings and facilities. To connect to the existing tunnel network, we excavated under existing campus roads, and in tight spaces close to the 100-year-old Bowyer Block, a National Monument of Singapore. 

To realise this vision, we also had to underpin a skybridge, mine under link bridges, and upwards, to connect with a tunnel at the Academia Block. Our tunnelling solutions emphasised innovation, cost-effectiveness and safety, with minimal disruption to ground-level hospital operations and all existing structures.

Partners & collaborators

CIAP Architects Pte Ltd / Penta-Ocean Construction Co Ltd