Island Hospital is a recently expanded 600-bed hospital in Penang – it is the largest private hospital in Malaysia and a leading tertiary care provider providing patients with access to over 1000 specialists. Originally a 300-bed hospital, Island’s vision was to expand to meet local needs and the increasing demand for medical tourism. 

Arup worked with Island Hospital by providing civil, structural and geotechnical services to the expansion project. We designed the 12-storey Peel Wing, a patient-centric healthcare facility hosting the newest specialties and health centres of excellence, and helped connect it to the main hospital with a 120-metre medical underpass walkway beneath live traffic to transport patients and specialists between hospital wings (Malaysia’s first). Arup’s innovative engineering helped keep patients, practitioners and road users safe during construction. 

Penang State Government’s goal is for the city to become the ‘Medical City of Asia’, and the expansion of Island Hospital is a centrepiece for the fulfillment of that ambition. The Peel Wing helps double the hospital’s capacity, and makes Island the largest private hospital in the northern region of Malaysia.  

Tunnel design 

Keeping patients, practitioners and the public safe and connected was an important part of this project to achieve Island Hospital’s vision. Our team was challenged with designing infrastructure to connect the old and new hospital wings without disrupting traffic flow during construction. 

We designed Malaysia’s first medical underpass walkway beneath live highway traffic. The 120-metre underpass walkway’s structure is designed using permanent sheet piles, sections of sheet steel with interlocking edges, usually used during construction for temporary earth retention. Sheet piles proved to be an effective solution for minimising disturbance during construction, and as a temporary and permanent shaft for the lists connecting the new underpass to the existing wing, saving space and achieving the required dimensions. 

Image of underpass at Island Hospital, Penang
A medical underpass connects the old and new wings of Island Hospital © Island Hospital Sdn Bhd

Structural engineering 

The underpass walkway is structurally independent of the hospital wings and supported by different foundation systems. A telescopic joint with water-stop was introduced at each interface to accommodate any lateral or vertical movement. Inside each wing we designed ground floor staircases one metre above road level to access the underpass. This design safeguards medical facilities in the basement from floodwater flowing inside the underpass and basement. 

A waterproofing membrane is laid between sheet piles and the underpass walls to create a barrier from any water seepage. C40 concrete with waterproofing admixture was used for the underpass walls reducing porosity and risk of seepage. The underpass slab is also designed to drain water to one area where pump sumps discharge seepage outside the structure. 

The most challenging aspect was to design the seamless patient journey between the two hospital buildings. We thank Arup for being our partner in this journey and look forward to putting Island Hospital and Malaysia healthcare on the world map. ”

Lim Kooi Ling

Chief of Staff, Island Hospital