Progressive Building The magazine of The New Zealand Institute of Building Inc August / September 2003 Issue 14 PG 12

Waitakere Hospital ramps up to stage two

Multiplex was awarded the stage-two building contract for two new $60 million Waitakere Hospital. The construction company is currently building a major new extension as part of stage one of the hospital development.

Stage two includes refurbishing the existing main hospital block, adding a child health unit and building a special care baby unit. The stage-two refurbishment contract is due to start in October and be completed in September 2004.

The hospital will then be equipped and staffed before being fully commissioned in November next year. New services to be delivered from this date include an emergency care unit, theaters, medical and surgical wards, coronary care unit, pediatric assessment unit and special care baby unit.

In the meantime, Waitakere Hospital was highly commended in the national Green Ribbon Awards. The hospital won recognition for its eco-friendly stormwater development and its plans to reuse the rainwater for flushing toilets.

"While the hospital is not due to be completed until next year, already some of these eco-friendly initiatives, such as storm water treatment, are up and running," said Waitakere Hospital general manager Rachel Haggerty.

The hospital's storm water initiatives include:

Water tanks for collecting rainwater off the roof for reuse within the hospital, primarily for flushing toilets;

Swales and sand filters for treating storm water from roads and parking areas.

A storm water treatment pond and wetlands area to treat other run-off from the site and part of the surrounding Lincoln Rd catchments.

"The introduction of rainwater tanks will help reduce hospital water rates, but more importantly for community is the storm water treatment which will help reduce the amount of pollutants entering our eco system," said Haggerty.

Other environmentally sustainable features include water saving fitting, energy efficiency, non-ozone depleting air-conditioning systems.