COVID19 related supply chain issues will see a staged approach to the completion of the first stage of Kaweka Hospital.

Project manager Nick Ward says construction completion date was due 16 May but 11th-hour Covid supply chain issues has delayed the building handover date, which will now be staged from mid May through to late July. “Our issues relate to key mechanical services components coming mostly from Europe – held up with factories which have been closed due to Covid, huge demand for specialist hospital materials and components across Europe, and international shipping being in disarray.

Nick says the best approach is now to stage the hand over enabling Kaweka Hospital to progress with the installation of a vast amount of fixtures, fittings and equipment to the completed zones of the building to minimise the impact on opening.

Nick says all trades, led by Gemco Construction are busy on site including external site works, HVAC, medical gases, electrical, data, security, painting, ceilings, floor & wall coverings, joinery, external canopy, and car park lighting. The big (1.5 mVA) Unison Transformer was livened up in late March and is connected to the Main Switchboard, powering both Stage 1 and 2 buildings. The back-up emergency diesel Generator Set is on site and is being commissioned, this provides Essential Power to all of Stage 1 and 50% of Stage 2. Over and above this is 6 tonnes of UPS battery packs in the Stage 1 plant floor to provide 120 minutes of power supply (if all else fails), enabling Kaweka to complete any operating procedures in progress.

Also the bulk liquid oxygen (LOX) vessel platform and enclosure is being prepared for instal in early May. It has a capacity of 5,500 litres of cryogenic liquid oxygen, stored at less than minus -183 degrees Celsius – and this provides around 5 million litres of oxygen in gaseous form to the Stage 1 & 2 buildings

STAGE 2 also underway

Meanwhile Stage 2 including 7400m2 of ward, imaging, specialist spaces is now underway with Gemco starting construction in early February 2022, following demolition of the Recreational Services building.

The bulk earthworks was completed in March, ahead of programme and all off-site works commenced in February 2022 including ordering of reinforcing steel, and preparation of workshop drawings for reinforcing and structural steel. Structural steel was pre-ordered to secure steel supplies and mitigate cost increases.

The Geotechnical engineers have confirmed good ground conditions for construction of the building which will start in early April, with carpenters on the excavated platform preparing grids, profiles, and bases for hefty reinforced concrete ground beams.

Specialist Base Isolator components made up of  approx 70 tonnes of lead rubber & rubber bearings and slider components are due to arrive, from Nevada USA, towards the end of April. The base isolator will act as shock absorbers in an earthquake allowing the ground to move independently of the building. This is the same technology that is used at Te Papa and the Beehive.

The Stage 2A Structural works will take about 13 months to complete, and will be overlapped with the Stage 2B package of Base Build envelope works which is about to be put out for building consent and tender in April 2022. A further stage of internal fitout works will follow for consent and tender in late 2022.