Concept for the earthquake-proof stage two Kaweka Hospital building, containing a critical care ward, local cancer diagnosis and treatment services and a cardiac catheterisation lab. Photo / Supplied
Concept for the earthquake-proof stage two Kaweka Hospital building, containing a critical care ward, local cancer diagnosis and treatment services and a cardiac catheterisation lab. Photo / Supplied
Hawke's Bay's new private hospital will include the first building in the region with world leading "earthquake-proof" technology.
Construction on Kaweka Hospital's stage two clinical medical hospital building officially began following a Māori blessing on Friday morning by Dr James Graham, Hastings District Council's principal advisor relationships, responsiveness and heritage.
Local engineering firm Kotahi Engineering Studio worked alongside Kaweka Health to understand its expectations around building functionality, resilience, and repair post an earthquake.
The 7000sq m, three-storey building on the corner of Orchard and Canning Rd in Hastings will sit atop base isolation technology which is a combination of 48 flat sliders, lead and rubber bearings.
Development and project manager Nick Ward said the bearings reduce the building shaking by absorbing a large amount of the motion and energy during a major earthquake.
The morning blessing led by Dr James Graham, Hastings District Council's principal advisor relationships, responsiveness and heritage for stage two of the Kaweka Hospital build. Photo / Supplied
The bearings sit under the base of the building within a specially formed undercroft.
In a severe earthquake the bearings can move independently of the ground up to 700mm within a "rattle-space" moat surrounding the building.
Kaweka Health managing director Dr Colin Hutchison said it was important to design and construct a health facility that can withstand a significant earthquake.
"The Canterbury earthquakes demonstrated the need for building design to consider more than just loss of life and building collapse and enable the facility to continue to care for patients.
"The technology enables the facility to remain fully functional following a large seismic event providing assurance to Kaweka Health and the wider community in a time when it may be needed."
Kaweka Hospital's stage one surgical building is expected to open at the end of May 2022, while the stage two building is expected to open December 2024.
The stage one building will have four operating theatres, full pre-op and recovery areas.
The stage two building will include a critical care ward, local cancer diagnosis and treatment services and a cardiac catheterisation lab.
