The Rural Clinical School is part of the University of Tasmania’s Faculty of Health Science. Construction of the new school was funded by the Federal Department of Health and Ageing’s Regional Health Strategy.

A major challenge during construction of the School was ensuring the adjacent hospital’s operations were not impacted. The main building was constructed over a carpark and a linkway between two existing hospital buildings, meaning a suspended slab had to be installed over this area while still allowing the hospital staff and patients to use it. Access to the area was only hindered for 2 hours during a concrete pour throughout the whole project.

The suspended concrete deck carpark was also built over an existing carpark. The carpark was designed to be of a constant thickness, meaning that the soffit formwork had to be constructed on a variety of angles to facilitate surface water run-off and drainage.

The building design incorporated extensive solar design and Esd principles comprising northern orientation and low emissivity glass for year round comfort and energy saving. There are also sunscreens for summer sun control, narrow plan configuration and clerestory highlights to maximise natural light and ventilation, as well as controllable solar exhaust fans to complement natural ventilation in summer.

Inside the School, there are defined areas for some single and shared offices and teaching spaces, as well as carefully designed open workstations and teaching/learning areas that reflect the current requirement for flexibility in staff/team configuration and for individual and group learning. A foldable wall divides a large and smaller multi-purpose spaces, catering for small teaching groups and presentations as well as conference style presentations and large formal meetings.

With the falls to the carpark built into the beam and deck soffits created some interesting resolving during the construction phase.