34 | Southbase Construction T T Karen Phelps “Building much of the facility away from the hospital also reduced the amount of construction activity taking place within a live healthcare environment, so the interruption to the hospital is really minimised with this process.” REGIONAL DEVELOPMENT Off-site construction is speeding up the delivering of key Health New Zealand - Te Whatu Ora projects around the country, including Nelson Hospital’s new, 28bed inpatient unit, which will provide much needed additional capacity for the region. Southbase is delivering the design- and- build contract for the project, with Crown Infrastructure Delivery (CID) as principal on behalf of Health New Zealand. The purpose-built facility is being manufactured using a modular construction process, with the building manufactured in a factory at the same time as work on the foundations is carried out on- site, significantly speeding up project delivery. Southbase project director, Damian Little, says the final modules were landed at Nelson Hospital on September 10, completing the main construction phase of a project that began in February. “The overall building is 60 metres long by 20 metres wide and has been designed to the highest level of specification to Health New Zealand - Te Whatu Ora requirements. So it is the same level of quality as if it had been built on-site.” Once the modules were completed and transported to the hospital site, the 1200sqm building was joined together. Damian says a conventional on-site build of a facility of this size would typically take 15 to 18 months compared with about nine months for the Nelson project. “That is a massive programme benefit,” he says. “Building much of the facility away from the hospital also reduced the amount of construction activity taking place within a live healthcare environment, so the interruption to the hospital is really minimised with this process.” The off-site approach was requested by Health New Zealand - Te Whatu Ora because of the challenges of securing the level of specialist construction resources required for major projects in smaller centres. Southbase took the client brief and, working with its design managers and specialist healthcare partners, engineered it into a building that met Health New Zealand - Te Whatu Ora’s national standards and requirements. Damian says extensive planning is required on such projects, including logistics around transporting the large modules, crane operations and connecting the new building’s systems with those already operating at the hospital. “We also open a window within the project to allow early access to allow Health New Off-site construction delivers efficiency Zealand - Te Whatu Ora to do the fixtures, fittings and equipment,” says Damian. “This early access helps to begin to prepare the facility for use while the remaining project work is completed, once again speeding up delivery of the facility. “Southbase brings together expertise in areas including project feasibility, productivity and cost management, construction and asset management.” Damian says the project has also benefited from the experience gained through similar modular healthcare developments. The same team has worked across the projects, allowing lessons learned and improvements to be carried forward. A similar building is being constructed by Southbase in Auckland for Middlemore Extensive planning is required on such projects, including logistics around transporting the large modules, crane operations and connecting the new building’s systems with those already operating at the hospital. Hospital, and another facility was delivered to Hawke’s Bay in September. Southbase is also due to undertake similar projects at Waikato and Wellington hospitals. He says the company aims to use local suppliers and contractors wherever possible, creating opportunities in the regions where it works. “For Southbase, these projects are important. It’s a national work stream and a lot of heavy engagement with every regional campus, which is quite unique. “For the community and region they are getting a high-quality building, faster and built economically. So in nine months they have a 28-bed, brand-new, high-specification hospital ward ready to go.”
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