Project Snapshot
- Client: Ministry of Health, New Zealand
- Contractor: Gartshore Joinery Ltd
- Location: Christchurch, New Zealand
- Type: Building Construction
- Value: $980 million
- Area:
- Dates: February 2015 – June 2016
Key Highlights
Scope
Undoubtedly one of the largest and most comprehensive projects that I’ve worked on to date, this project involved the construction of the Waipapa Building at Christchurch Hospital. It was formerly known as the Acute Services Building, and it remains the largest hospital project ever delivered in New Zealand. This facility was designed to provide state-of-the-art acute medical services, which include a new emergency department, operating theatres, inpatient beds, and specialized medical departments.
Special Features
Showcasing just how complex this entire project was, the Waipapa Building required to have some seismic resilience. In other words, it was constructed with strict seismic requirements, to ensure that the facility’s structural integrity would operate continually, even in the event of major earthquakes.
Additionally, the project had to incorporate advanced medical technology and facilities, as well as the infrastructure needed to support acute care services. Furthermore, the Waipapa Building had to be sustainably designed. This meant I had to work with implementing energy-efficient systems, adopting sustainable building practices, and eco-friendly materials being used.
Challenges
For a gargantuan project like this and the critical support that the Waipapa Building was created to provide to the local community, this project had a myriad of unique challenges, such as:
- Undertaking construction inside a city (Christchurch, New Zealand) that’s still recovering from fairly severe earthquake damage. As such, it required very careful planning and coordination.
- Coordinating a pretty large workforce and multiple sub-contractors to deliver a complicated project of unprecedented scale within New Zealand’s crucial healthcare sector.
- Maintaining stringent health and safety standards to ensure an accident-free environment for all personnel involved.
Result
The Waipapa Building project was successfully completed in time and within budget, thus able to now provide all the residents of Christchurch with a world-class acute services facility. More to that, this project helped to massively contribute to the region’s healthcare infrastructure as well as resilience moving forward.
My Role
- Position: Joinery Project Manager
Responsibilities
As the joinery project manager for the gargantuan Waipapa Building project and expansion of Christchurch Hospital, some of my responsibilities included:
- Managing a team of more than 60 workers, prominently carpenters and labourers, while also ensuring efficient resource allocation and good staff scheduling to meet strict deadlines.
- Auditing sub-contractor Assessment Method Statements (RAMS) to identify inconsistencies, mitigate further liability, and reduce any risks, contributing to an accident-free environment.
- Implementing clever construction-based apps such as Site Audit Pro and Snag-R to streamline processes, resulting in further time and cost savings for the client.
- Conducting regular toolbox talks and communicating for over 350 personnel with a PA system, fostering clearer communication and safety compliance.
All in all, the successful delivery of the new Waipapa Building at Christchurch Hospital shows my capability to manage large-scale, high-profile projects, and it helped to realise a facility to stand robustly at the forefront of world-class healthcare infrastructure in New Zealand. So, if you’re seeking a partner who could help you finalise projects with speed and precision, do feel free to contact me today to discuss your needs!
