Burwood Hospital Spinal Unit

The post-earthquake repair and upgrade of Burwood Hospital’s Spinal Unit, one of only two specialist care providers in this field in Aotearoa, was a valuable improvement to the national treatment and rehabilitation of spinal cord impairment patients. WSP provided Civil, Structural, Mechanical, Electrical, Hydraulic, and Seismic Restraint Engineering Services to future-proof this critical care unit.

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Burwood Hospital Spinal Unit

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Upgrade of the spinal unit, which caters to very vulnerable patients, was an important milestone in post-earthquake rehabilitation for the Burwood community.

Location

Christchurch, New Zealand

Client

Canterbury District Health Board

Project Value

$5.5m

Project Status

Complete: April 2017 - September 2019

Client Challenges

Burwood Hospital Spinal Unit provides services to patients from the entire South Island and lower half of the North Island. The building suffered liquefaction-induced damage during the Canterbury earthquake sequence, including differential floor settlement.

The seismic assessment rated the building as 40% NBS (New Building Standard) at Importance Level 3 (IL3), which required strengthening to a minimum of 67% NBS. In addition, Te Whatu Ora planned for an upgrade of the existing building and clinical services as well as an expansion to a 26-bed ward and a 4-bed transitional rehabilitation unit.

Our scope of work included planning for increased service runs to the additional rooms and providing a seamless transition between the existing building and the new extension wing - all of which needed to fit within the available existing roof space. Enhancing the facilities for staff and whanau support also needed to be part of the design for the increased area of modernised inpatient facilities with improved medical and clinical areas.

WSP Solution

WSP worked closely together with all stakeholders, including Te Whatu Ora, the architect, other design consultants, and Christchurch City Council to support the upgrade through all stages of the project, from design to final construction review. We considered Safety in Design through all project stages, including the use of innovative design principles.

We provided valuable advice during the design and construction stages, prioritising contractor queries, and proposing alternative, cost-efficient solutions to facilitate quick decision-making by Te Whatu Ora, resolve construction issues, and avoid additional costs.

OPERATIONAL EXCELLENCE

During the concept design stage, WSP led a value management review of the architectural roof options for the extension and identified an option that saved Te Whatu Ora approximately 10% of the construction budget, while offering efficient service routes.

Our structural input and close collaboration with the project architect also achieved the desired roof height profile as a wind-break shelter. In addition, we recommended the design of seismic restraints for building services and architectural fittings early during the design stage, instead of during the construction stage.
This allowed for improved coordination with building services and architectural design features, and more efficient solution outcomes.

During the construction stage, defects to the original structure were detected, and we provided effective remediation solutions.

FINDING SUSTAINABLE SOLUTIONS

Our experienced engineering team worked efficiently to design an economical solution for the integration and upgrade of services, that meet user needs for today and the future, confirmed via stakeholder engagement workshops and full-scale room mock-ups. This included improved efficiency of space heating and, as part of our design upgrades, strengthening of the existing roof structure to allow the addition of support hoists essential for bariatric healthcare.

DELIVERING FIT FOR FUTURE AND STATE OF THE ART CARE

Our structural team designed the earthquake damage repairs and seismic strengthening, which efficiently achieved 100% NBS (IL3), substantially above the targeted 67% NBS (IL3). We also provided regular inspections as the construction progressed and worked with the different subcontractors to provide suitable seismic restraint details for their services. For example, to allow for differential seismic movement of the extension relative to the existing building, swivel joints and flexible service pipe connections were used for the installation of expansions. This approach to seismic resilience, as well as our design of efficient building services upgrades, met Te Whatu Ora’s long-term improvement objectives.

PROVIDING HEALING ENVIRONMENTS FOR OUR DIVERSE COMMUNITIES

We integrated modern healthcare principles in our design to create an environment that promotes rehabilitation. The new inpatient rooms are equipped with ensuite facilities, large windows that overlook the adjacent garden, and access to a terrace area. The beds are facing the windows, allowing for lots of natural light for bedridden patients, and all bedheads include a variety of essential controls including an updated nurse call system. The relocated nurse station and structurally strengthened day room and communal dining room enhance the workflow and patient interactions. To further support patients as well as whanau in the recovery journey, the extension also includes a new whanau room.

EXCELLENT CLIENT AND CONSULTANT PARTNERSHIP

Collaboration was essential for the successful upgrade and extension and included regular design coordination workshops with the lead architectural, geotechnical, fire engineering, and quantity surveying consultants to provide economical engineering design solutions. Together with the architects and the entire design team we produced coordinated building code compliance documentation to obtain building consent approval from Christchurch City Council. We also provided the client with documentation for tender and advice on tender submissions. In addition, WSP carried out construction monitoring throughout the construction stage, provided advice to assist with contract administration and approaches to reduce claims, and facilitated a final construction review and code of compliance sign-off at the completion of the construction works.