First opened in 1928, each Operating Theatre honoured a pioneering surgeon, namely Van Niekerk, Davies and Murray. The two-storey brick building was designed by Gordon Leith, the architect for many of the historic buildings in the Hillbrow Health Precinct. The old building was restored in 2011, and a lightweight steel structure was added to make a third floor, designed by Henry Paine Architects. Today, Shandukani combines modern maternity care and medical research together with heritage conservation.