This project involved the replacement of the existing Acute Mental Health unit, which does not easily allow for the delivery of contemporary models of care and does not adequately cater to the needs of Māori, who make up a large proportion of the local community.
The facility will be a welcoming whare, with 10 beds, whānau spaces, flexible therapy rooms and an outdoor courtyard to allow a connection with nature. While the facility will be able to provide slightly more beds than the current building, the main benefit will be that it will better support contemporary models of care and better allow consumers to maintain a connection with their whānau.
The new unit has been designed with input from local clinicians, a users’ group, and representatives from consumers, iwi and staff, who worked with local architects, and a local artist. The building will have both Zero Energy and Core Green sustainability certifications, meaning it will have a very low environmental impact.
Our construction team are setting new standards as we work towards ‘Core Green’ by implementing initiatives such as:
• No skip bins are being used on site. All waste materials are to be recycled or repurposed.
• 80% of all building materials will be sourced within 500km of the building site.
• A design & build solar package with a solar array providing enough energy to sustain the building services energy requirements.
• The building will achieve a net zero energy rating.
• A fully insulated building envelope.
• Using rainwater for all the non-potable water requirements of the building.
• All spoils from the ground improvement phase of the project have been either refined for re-use on site or re-purposed within the community for use within local landscaping projects.
Our Businesses Involved: Construction, Civil and Infrastructure, Plumbing, Superchill HVAC and Refrigeration.
