Project Overview
Client: Evergreen Living
Location: Gosford, NSW
Facility Type: Hospice Care Facility
Project Type: Commercial Kitchen & Dining Facility Reconstruction
Project Value: Approximately AUD $3.5 million
Project Duration: February 2022 – June 2022
Evergreen Living’s executive and operational leadership were accountable for the performance of critical catering infrastructure within a live, regulated healthcare environment. The kitchen and dining facilities were essential to daily operations, resident wellbeing, and community service delivery — placing leadership directly in the role of decision‑makers carrying delivery, governance, and reputational risk.
Strategic Objective
The strategic objective was to enable Yalambie Court’s leadership to deliver a fully compliant, modern commercial kitchen and dining environment that could support high‑volume meal production — while maintaining clarity, confidence, and control throughout delivery.
Success was defined not only by the physical asset, but by decisions that were defensible, aligned, and operationally sound from day one.
The Challenge
Yalambie Court produces approximately >1,000 meals per day for residents and for community meal services. The kitchen was mission‑critical infrastructure in constant use.
Leadership faced a familiar but high‑risk challenge:
- Capital construction within a live hospice environment
- No tolerance for service disruption
- Multiple stakeholders with competing operational pressures
- Strict regulatory, fire safety, and compliance requirements
- Early decisions with long‑term, irreversible consequences
The problem was not capability — it was ensuring the right decisions were made, sequenced, and governed under pressure.
Scope of Works
To address the challenge, the project was structured into three integrated workstreams, allowing leadership to make clear, staged decisions aligned to operational outcomes.
1. Commercial Kitchen Demolition and Reconstruction
- Partial demolition of the existing structure
- Construction of a new floor plate to expand the kitchen footprint
- Full demolition and reconstruction of kitchen and storage areas
- Reconfiguration of internal layouts, including new and relocated doorways
- Demolition of the existing servery and construction of a new servery with compliant fire separation
- Supply and installation of a new fire control system:
- Suppressant gas system
- Water dowsing system
- Full commercial kitchen fit‑out
- New freezer, refrigerated, and dry storage facilities
2. Dining Room Renovation
- Complete refurbishment of the existing dining room
- Staged works to maintain access, safety, and operational continuity
3. Access and Infrastructure Upgrades
- Fire hydrant upgrades
- Electrical system upgrades
- Improved access between the hospice, administration centre, dining room, kitchen, and storage areas
Our Approach
The role of the guide was to provide stability, regardless of the complexity of the Project, and ensure ongoing service provision at all times – seamlessly.
Works were delivered in a live healthcare environment, requiring decisions that balanced construction progress with operational reality. Delivery was staged over several months, supported by a fully serviced temporary mobile kitchen, including power, water, sump, provision to the temporary facilities and infrastructure to maintain meal production.
The approach focused on:
- Clarifying intent before committing to irreversible decisions
- Structuring delivery choices to remain defensible under scrutiny
- Supporting leadership through sequencing, staging, and communication
- Ensuring governance and operations remained aligned throughout delivery
Risks and Challenges
Without clear guidance, the project faced risks that would compound quietly:
- Disruption to essential meal services
- Exposure in a sensitive healthcare environment
- Fire safety and compliance failures during staged works
- Misalignment between temporary and permanent infrastructure
- Reputational and governance consequences for leadership
Each risk was actively managed through disciplined planning, sequencing, and decision support.
Solution and Key Deliverables (Decisions Realised)
- Fully reconstructed, modern commercial kitchen compliant with current standards
- Integrated fire safety and building services upgrades
- Expanded and properly configured cold, frozen, and dry storage
- Refurbished dining room supporting daily operational use
- Seamless transition from temporary to permanent kitchen operations
- Continuous meal service maintained throughout construction
Value‑Added Differentiators
- Deep experience in regulated, live healthcare environments
- Governance‑led approach to staging and delivery
- Focus on outcomes, not construction activity alone
- Ability to reduce decision risk for senior leaders
- Quiet, senior‑level guidance that allows the hero to succeed
Outcome
Delivered between February and June 2022, Yalambie Court now operates from future‑ready kitchen and dining facilities that support both resident care and community services.
More importantly:
- Facilities function operationally from day one
- Services weren’t interrupted
- All decisions were well founded, collaborated on with all key stakeholders and defensible
- Leadership and residents retained confidence and control throughout delivery
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