Redesigning and managing the delivery of Poland’s first Public Private Partnership (PPP) hospital

Arup was approached by the client to redesign and manage the project after a separate initial design exceeded the budget. Our team applied value engineering principles such as reducing the size of the hospital and increasing the number of beds in some rooms without compromising on ventilation standards. To improve budget management, we segmented the project into phases to optimise construction and operations costs. 

After decades of use, deteriorating conditions at the Zywiec district hospital, which provided healthcare to more than 150,000 residents for over a century, led the district government to select InterHealth Canada to develop a new facility. Arup was appointed to provide structural, mechanical, electric and public health design together with project and cost management at the country’s first Public Private Partnership (PPP) hospital. 

The new hospital brings next-generation healthcare to the region, offering bright rooms with private bathrooms and large windows that allow access to natural light. With capacity for 340 short-term and 40 long-term patients, the new facility includes a new Emergency Room, Surgery, Rehabilitation, Diagnostics and Gynaecology units, as well as a helipad and five operating theatres. 

BIM insights 

Our engineers used Building Information Modelling (BIM) to develop an intelligent 3D model of the facility, enabling more precise assessments of feasibility, cost and schedules, and a better understanding of constraints and opportunities. The 3D model facilitated communication with the client’s global team and gave stakeholders greater insight on design performance, bringing greater alignment and informing the decision-making process. It will now be used for facility management throughout the hospital’s lifecycle.