Alexandra Hospital, Singapore

Like many countries, Singapore is facing increasing demand for public healthcare because of its rapidly aging residents, overall population growth and constrained healthcare workforce. To build capacity and meet rising needs, Singapore’s Ministry of Health (MOH) is expanding its health infrastructure and re-defining its approach to healthcare system delivery.

As part of this transformation, Alexandra Hospital is redeveloping and expanding to enable a more integrated model of health and care. Originally built in 1938 for military purposes, Alexandra Hospital is the last-standing hospital campus in Singapore constructed during the British colonial era. At that time, it was the largest and best-equipped military hospital in Britain’s Far East Command, providing critical medical aid to Allied troops during World War II. Since Singapore took over its administration in 1971, the hospital was converted into a civilian institution and became known as Alexandra Hospital.

Pandemic-ready infrastructure

Futureproofing Alexandra Hospital's infrastructure to meet future health and care needs, particularly in terms of pandemic preparedness and responsiveness, is a key design consideration.

As part of the redevelopment, the hospital will accommodate several stages of pandemic readiness with features including:

• A command center to:
  1. Manage current operations, providing situation awareness to regulate patient flow and deployment of medical resources. 
  
  2. Anticipate future operations for timely planning and capacity building in preparation for potential crises/pandemics.
• Designated mass screening areas and entry points.
• Technological innovations for hospital deliveries and sanitation

A new pandemic-ready emergency department, incorporating hot and clean zones, negative pressure capabilities, and the ability to isolate specific areas will be introduced. To facilitate high-volume patient flows and discreet transfers of vulnerable patients, the emergency department will include a dedicated isolation corridor and lift services, ensuring safe and efficient travel routes.

Community-centered design

Alexandra Hospital is rich in history and heritage. In 1998, the hospital was marked as a historic site by the National Heritage Board.

Over the years, the hospital has undergone several redevelopments and restructuring to meet Singapore’s changing healthcare needs, but it remains an important landmark with significant historical and heritage value.

Three existing blocks which currently house clinics, wards, operating rooms, and diagnostic imaging will be conserved, and artifacts and references from the conserved buildings will be incorporated into the new design. The design will also celebrate the hospital's architectural heritage, emphasizing the synergy between past and present, and seamlessly integrating with the new campus.

More than that, the redeveloped hospital will be an integrated healthcare campus designed for the community – featuring communal green spaces to foster public engagement and support health and well-being activities. Improved access to adjacent residential areas and the adjoining Rail Corridor will further integrate the campus with greenery and a heritage trail, while creating a seamless connection that benefits both patients and the wider community.

Green and sustainable development

Alexandra Hospital is committed to achieving best-in-class energy-efficient building certification, GreenMark Super Low Energy, by integrating sustainability principles throughout the project. This includes adopting renewable energy and biophilic elements into the architectural design.

For example, to minimize energy consumption and reduce reliance on conventional power sources, the campus will use photovoltaic panels to harness solar energy, and a solar-evacuated tube collector system to supply hot water. The design also incorporates lush gardens and abundant greenery, including the introduction of new garden terraces, to provide therapeutic benefits for patients and staff.

Construction standardization: a blueprint for success

Hospitals are highly complex developments. Adopting design and construction standards can significantly enhance productivity, quality, and buildability, thereby improving workflow and project outcomes. It also helps to streamline construction delivery with increased efficiency, cost-effectiveness, and timeliness – key factors in managing a project of this scale.

From the early stages of the project, we collaborated with project stakeholders to drive the adoption and implementation of Building and Construction Authority’s buildability standards integrating advanced technologies such as Building Information Modeling (BIM), Dynamo, Unify, and dRofus as key enablers for seamless data management, improved workflow, and optimized design configurations for spatial layouts, systems, and associated infrastructure.

Through robust appraisal systems, coupled with established standards and best practices, this approach enhances efficiency and productivity and fosters collaboration and integration amongst project stakeholders, building a solid foundation for success in meeting the project's rapid delivery timelines.

Alexandra Hospital plans to open the new facilities progressively from 2028. As one of Singapore’s public healthcare sites to pilot new healthcare technologies and interventions, Alexandra Hospital will provide valuable insights into best practices for innovative patient care models worldwide.