A $100 million private hospital delivered six weeks ahead of schedule is one of three Sunshine Coast projects to claim state construction honours.
Maroochy Private Hospital, Coast2Bay Banya Social Housing and Library+ Caloundra were named category winners at the 2026 Queensland Master Builders Housing & Construction Awards.
McNab won Health Facilities over $20 million for Maroochy Private Hospital, while Badge Constructions (Qld) took out the Social Housing Project category for Coast2Bay Banya Social Housing.
Hutchinson Builders won Commercial Refurbishment/Renovation from $25 million up to $50 million for Library+ Caloundra.
The awards, which also included accolades for Sunshine Coast houses, marked the 40th year of the Master Builders Queensland program.
Master Builders CEO and awards ambassador Sue-Ann Fresneda said the winners demonstrated the breadth of work being delivered across the state.
“From stunning homes to world-class schools, hospitals and community infrastructure, our builders and tradies have fittingly pushed the boundaries of what was possible in this, the milestone 40th year of our Housing & Construction Awards program,” Ms Fresneda said.
The Maroochy Private Hospital recognition followed the completion of the 10-storey facility in the Maroochydore City Centre.
A joint development by Fortius Hospitals and Barwon Investment Partners, the hospital was designed for six operating theatres, recovery rooms and capacity for 56 beds, as well as three levels of medical and allied health tenancies.
McNab Sunshine Coast construction manager Luke Martin said the project team had faced difficult conditions during the build.
“Delivering a $100-million hospital building six weeks ahead of schedule and within budget, and now seeing it recognised as Queensland’s best in its category, is a proud moment for our team and everyone who has worked with us to deliver this project,” Mr Martin said.
“We experienced prolonged wet weather during construction and regional labour shortages put real pressure on the programme, but our local subcontractors ‒ backed by McNab’s own trades, procurement and equipment teams ‒ kept finding ways to keep things moving without compromising on quality.
“That’s the culture we’ve built at McNab. We back each other, work through challenges together and take pride in what we deliver, and this award really recognises that shared effort.
“For our team, there’s something special about helping build a hospital that will support our own community for years to come.”
Do you have an opinion to share? Submit a Letter to the Editor at Sunshine Coast News via news@sunshinecoastnews.com.au. You must include your name and suburb.
Designed by HSPC Health Architects, the 11,876sqm hospital includes a rooftop terrace with indoor and outdoor lounge areas and four levels of car parking.
The construction team used precast concrete columns across the carpark levels, which McNab said helped cut about 24 days from the construction schedule.
The project also diverted 90 per cent of construction and demolition waste from landfill and used lower-carbon concrete across most structural elements as part of its target for a 4-star Green Star rating.
Fortius Hospitals founder and chief medical officer Professor Daevyd Rodda said the facility had been designed around the needs of patients and medical staff.
“From the beginning, we designed Maroochy Private Hospital around the way surgeons, nurses and patients actually move through it,” Professor Rodda said.
“McNab understood that brief and delivered a landmark purpose-built facility, created to provide a premium patient experience.
“Just months after opening, Maroochy Private is already becoming a destination hospital, with patients travelling from across regional Queensland and interstate for their care.”
Eligible state winners will have the opportunity to compete at the Master Builders Australia National Excellence in Building & Construction Awards in Brisbane on November 27.
