SHAPE have officially broken ground on the new South Tuggeranong Health Centre in Conder, marking the start of construction for a purpose-built community health facility in Canberra’s south.
The sod-turning ceremony, held on Wednesday 30 April, brought together government representatives, community members, and the SHAPE team to celebrate this major milestone. The event began with a Welcome to Country and smoking ceremony, led by Aunty Serena Williams.
Following the ceremony, Minister for Health Rachel Stephen-Smith MLA spoke to media and stakeholders about the future of healthcare in South Tuggeranong and the vision behind the new facility – one of four new health centres being developed across the ACT. The centre is designed to expand access to preventative and community-based care, offering services including paediatrics, pathology collection, diabetes clinics, dementia care, falls prevention, and community nursing.
SHAPE has been appointed under a Design and Construct contract to deliver a brand-new health hub – a welcoming, flexible space that will support a wide range of services and community health programs. The project highlights SHAPE’s end-to-end capability in new builds, with the team managing the journey from sketch plans right through to final construction. Working closely with the client and end-users through extensive design workshops to ensure the space meets real community needs, while also running detailed buildability reviews alongside design consultants to ensure what’s designed can be built efficiently and to the highest standard.
Tom Sparkes, General Manager – ACT at SHAPE proudly states, “We are privileged to once again partner with the ACT Government on a project that will have lasting benefits for the community. We’re focused on delivering a high-quality, functional space that reflects the care and consideration already shown during the initial design and consultation phase.”
“The delivery of these health centres is another way that we are bringing health care options to Canberrans closer to where they live and I am really proud of the difference that this will make,” said Minister Stephen-Smith.
Located on a greenfield site at the corner of Heidelberg Street and Box Hill Avenue in Conder, the single-storey building will feature:
The facade will combine feature brickwork, terracotta tiles, and architectural detailing, with a strong emphasis on environmental performance and long-term adaptability.
With site establishment now complete and SHAPE actively managing procurement, the team is on track to deliver the centre by August 2026, with services expected to commence the following month.
We acknowledge Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples as the Traditional Custodians of the land, sea, and skies. We’re grateful to those who have cared for, nurtured, and protected Country for future generations, and we pay our respects to Elders past, present, and emerging.
