Ballarat Base Hospital – Decanting Works
Principal: Victorian Health Building Authority
Project Overview
Octave Acoustics was engaged to provide acoustic consultancy services for the Ballarat Base Hospital Decanting Works, a critical enabling project forming part of the wider Ballarat Base Hospital redevelopment. The decanting works supported the staged relocation of clinical, administrative and support functions to allow demolition and construction activities to proceed while maintaining uninterrupted hospital operations.
The project included multiple decant stages across existing hospital buildings, incorporating office accommodation, consulting suites, mental health areas, ICU‑associated spaces, meeting facilities and staff amenities within an acoustically sensitive, operational healthcare environment.
Scope of Services
Octave Acoustics provided end‑to‑end acoustic input across documentation, construction and post‑installation verification stages, including:
- Development of detailed acoustic design criteria and specifications for healthcare spaces, addressing internal noise levels, speech privacy, reverberation control, sound insulation and vibration.
- Assessment and specification of building elements, including walls, doors, glazing, ceilings and floor systems to achieve project performance targets.
- Mechanical services noise and vibration control, including plant noise emission limits, internal plant noise criteria and vibration isolation requirements.
- Construction and demolition noise and vibration management criteria to protect occupied hospital areas during adjacent works.
- Site inspections and defect identification, including review of installed acoustic treatments and sealing details.
- Post‑installation acoustic testing, comprising airborne sound insulation, internal noise levels and reverberation time measurements, with verification against project criteria and recommendations for rectification where required.
Outcomes
The acoustic design and verification services provided by Octave Acoustics supported a high level of acoustic amenity within temporary and refurbished hospital spaces, ensuring patient privacy, staff comfort and operational functionality throughout the decanting period.
The project demonstrates Octave Acoustics’ experience delivering practical, performance‑driven acoustic solutions within complex, live healthcare environments, particularly where staged construction and occupation constraints are critical to project success.
