Hilda Ross House to come down

A 50-year-old building, used as temporary accommodation for people accessing several Waikato Hospital services, is to come down.

Demolition of the multi-storey Hilda Ross House, a former nurses home among other things, starts in July and will be complete by October next year.

Since the Canterbury earthquake in 2011, public entities have been required to complete independent seismic evaluations of all its buildings.

Waikato District Health Board (DHB) is no exception to this and, as a result, some buildings have been identified as risks. The most significant one is Hilda Ross House on the Waiora Waikato hospital campus in Hamilton.

Built in 1963, the building was named after Dame Hilda Ross who was a Waikato Hospital Board member, a Hamilton Borough councillor, deputy mayor and Hamilton Member of Parliament.

The building is at 15 per cent of the current earthquake code which indicates a relatively high risk even though there is a low probability of an earthquake in Hamilton.

The bigger risk is of Hilda Ross House toppling on top of the Acute Services Building next door which houses the hospital's Emergency Department and four medical wards.

The board recently decided that because of the risk, Hilda Ross House would have to be demolished.

Planning is well advanced to handle the disruption demolition will have on the campus.

Early strip out works of the building will commence in July and major works will commence in October following the final relocation of Medihotel.

A portion of the building will be retained from level 1, B1 and 2 including, kitchen and Auditorium but cannot be used during demolition.

At the end of demolition, a new roof will go on to make it a two-level building housing meeting rooms, kitchen and Auditorium.