• PROJECT Waikato District Health Board Meade Clinical Centre
  • DATE 2013
  • LOCATION Central
  • SIZE 32,000m2
  • SECTOR Health
  • Client Waikato District Health Board
  • Value 130 Million
Waikato District Health Board’s new Meade Clinical Centre is the most significant part of the redevelopment at Waikato Hospital and the biggest hospital project ever seen in Waikato and Bay of Plenty.

The five-storey 32,000m2 clinical centre is being constructed in the middle of the hospital campus, parallel to the south side of the hospital’s red corridor, and will link directly to the car park at three levels.

The construction works have been segregated from the public and will remain this way through to completion. The project has been set up so that hospital staff and the public are unable to get near the construction activities even though, in reality, there may be an operating suite only 2-3 metres away from where works are taking place. By separating the construction environment from the operating environment Hawkins is able minimise safety and environmental risks.

The centre will include a 40 place day surgery suite, eight new operating theatres, consultation rooms, intervention suites and a radiology department. Two levels of the adjacent Waiora building will be refurbished, with level one including additional radiology facilities and level two including new intensive care and high dependency units. The scope of work also includes demolition of the Smith Building and refurbishment of two levels in the Waiora Waikato Centre for a new intensive care unit, high dependency unit and radiology department.

Hawkins is championing new construction technology on this project. The use of computerised 3D modelling of the building together with building information modelling (BIM) means Hawkins can identify exactly where the new building will interface with existing structures.

Hawkins will complete a fully spatially co-ordinated, computerised model of the final building to ensure that all the construction components are fully integrated. Using technology in this way reduces the room for error in the construction process and speeds up document delivery.

Day-to-day relationship management is required with so many people’s needs to consider during the pre-construction and construction process.

Hawkins is working closely with the Waikato DHB to minimise the environmental impact of construction processes for everyone, from patients to hospital staff and even for sensitive hospital equipment – noise, dust and vibrations.

The building will open in three stages from March 2012 with full completion by the end of 2013.