Engineering Te Nīkau, Grey Hospital and Health Centre

Te Nikau Grey Hospital and Healthcare Center is a multi-purpose facility next to the existing building, providing a full range of services to patients from the West Coast of Te Waipounamu, South Island. It includes 56 in-patient beds, out-patient services, 24-hour emergency services, three theatres, medical imaging, pathology, maternity and paediatrics services as well as catering.

The Integrated Family Health Centre (IFHC) offers various health services to the community in a less formal setting, while benefiting from the shared services and personnel. WSP, along with Jacobs and CCM Architects, designed, and monitored construction for, all Engineering Services, except fire. This included Structural, Civil, Geotechnical, Building Services, Mechanical and Electrical Systems, Plumbing, and Hydraulics.

Location

West Coast, New Zealand

Client

Te Whatu Ora Te Tai o Poutini West Coast (formerly Ministry of Health)

Architect

CCM Architects

Project Value

$120m

Project Status

Completed in 2020

Te Whatu Ora's vision for Te Nikau Grey Hospital

Te Whatu Ora wanted a new hospital that would serve the local community with high-quality medical services for primary and secondary care, including an improved mental health offering.

Despite a limited budget, the building needed to meet strict Importance Level 4 (IL4) post‐disaster requirements, and be fully functional after an earthquake. The building services also needed to be updated to suit the new care model, while compressing over 20,000 m2 of existing services into 8,500 m2. In addition, the existing hospital and civil services, such as plant rooms, service entrances, and a complex system of underground services tunnels, had to remain operational during the construction of the new facilities.

WSP full scope of services

WSP designed all building services to withstand the harsh environmental conditions of the West Coast and kept the design of the building and engineering aspects as simple and cost-effective as possible, to maximise the budget for clinical services.

We designed the main hospital buildings, spanning three to four storeys, on a grid system that optimised the steel framing and foundations, maximising future flexibility to accommodate for changes in technology and healthcare models. In contrast, the design for the IHFC was a simple steel-braced single storey building, offering a very cost-effective but highly resilient solution that meets the post disaster capability without the complexity of a multi-storey facility. The electrical system was upgraded to meet increased energy demands, including a new transformer and extensions to the high voltage lines, and additional work was carried out to properly supply the existing buildings with electricity.

We carefully designed the new hospital, IFHC, and an energy centre to minimise construction risk factors, like access limitations and excessive vibration and noise levels. Throughout the process, we maintained connections between the old and new facilities while undergoing a staged decanting process.

Busy interior of the Te Nikau Grey Hospital

OPERATIONAL EXCELLENCE

What if projects embraced high-detail 3D modeling for long-term benefits?

Te Nīkau, Grey Hospital was delivered under an Early Contractor Involvement (ECI) procurement model which emphasised collaboration and the involvement of contractors from the early stages.

We also worked closely with various consultancies and disciplines, as the entire project was modelled in 3D, using Revit software to a high level of detail (LOD 350). The model was then used by the quantity surveyor to support the cost estimate.

The full project was also documented to Level 2 BIM standards, collaboratively developing building information in a 3D environment with attached metadata, providing significant long-term benefits, like easily accessible cost estimation and lifecycle maintenance information, throughout the hospital’s lifecycle.

FINDING SUSTAINABLE SOLUTIONS

What if we could solve complex challenges with simple solutions?

A major challenge for the hospital were the complex and variable ground conditions encountered on site, which proved to be a huge cost driver for the foundation design.

With the new building being adjacent to the estuary and subject to moderate liquefaction and lateral spread, WSP undertook in-depth geotechnical testing and shear wave velocity monitoring to accurately map and model the underlying ground. The resulting information was put into 3D finite element ground models to model earthquake behaviour and damage ratios on the foundation structures in various serviceability and large earthquake scenarios.

Working together, WSP geotechnical and structural engineers came up with simple, cost-effective, and resilient solutions, without any construction impact on the estuary while reducing the overall foundation costs on the project by over $6m.

DELIVERING FIT FOR FUTURE AND STATE-OF-THE-ART CARE

What if we could keep our critical buildings running in the event of an emergency?

To meet post‐disaster durability requirements, as well as achieving self‐sufficiency for up to 72 hours in the event of an emergency, seismic resilience was a prime design consideration.

Since the budget did not extend to meet the highest resilience level (IL4 standards) for the entire hospital, WSP considered the wider function of the West Coast and Christchurch District Health Board assets. It was decided that in the event of a disaster, the main objective would be to triage and transfer patients to Christchurch Hospital for critical care. As a result, WSP designed the main hospital to meet a lower resilience level (IL3 standards) for fit-out and operation, while the single-storey IFHC triage center meets IL4 standards to maintain its function post-disaster.

In addition, WSP took an innovative approach to resilience that created practical solutions to redundancy. For example, we installed a small diesel-fired boiler to provide base load energy for the main hospital during power outages, and electric hot water production, enabling the building to function independently with generator power. These strategic design decisions support the hospital's durability and ability to withstand disasters while reducing the project’s costs.

PROVIDING HEALING ENVIRONMENTS FOR OUR DIVERSE COMMUNITIES

What if increasing access to green space increased patients' recovery time?

To create a strong connection to the natural environment we designed the buildings with a structural system that maximises natural light and views of the nearby water and green spaces. This design choice, backed by research from healthcare projects worldwide, has shown to promote better recovery and was also employed for the wards, where patients stay overnight, which were designed with steel frames without braces to allow for large windows.

EXCELLENT CLIENT AND CONSULTANT PARTNERSHIP

What if we could keep project disruption to an all-time low?

WSP worked closely with the client stakeholder group, other consultants, and construction contractors to make best use of the group’s collective practical and technical expertise. This helped to develop a methodology that was appropriate, effective and cost-efficient, and promoted a highly functional design.

We actively participated in value management sessions throughout the design stages, refining the project solution to deliver the best value for money. This involved conducting thorough lifecycle cost analysis and providing value engineering solutions. To overcome the challenge of limited local construction resources, we involved contractors early in the detailed design phase, allowing us to test budgets by sending out various work packages to the market.

We also worked closely with user groups and clinical teams, conducting extensive sessions and using 3D modelling to showcase how the new facility would function and look. This approach reassured stakeholders and supported a smooth transition between the old and new hospital, while minimising the impact of construction.