The Akaroa Health Hub involved the new build of a community health hub located in Akaroa for the Christchurch District Health Board.

With the huge community interest in the Project, as the local Akaroa district had raised over $1 million towards its build, the locals were very supportive with offers of accommodation.

The existing temporary Health Hub was demolished to make way for the new build, and the doctors’ offices moved to an off-site location.

The location in Akaroa and the slope of the site meant that there was over 2000m3 of earth was removed and replaced with compacted hardfill, and over 120m of retaining wall up to 2.6 m high was installed. The earthworks took a little longer than programmed due to the severe rainfall in June 2018, and the slab was completed in early August 2018.

Once the slab was in place, the construction could begin. The building, featuring an 8-bed aged care centre, 4 consulting rooms and 4 flexible bedrooms, plus a full commercial kitchen, was a combination of timber and steel construction and split into fire cells by 4 full-height fire walls. It was clad in a mix of bagged painted brick and Hardie Oblique linear board, giving an ‘old meets new’ look.

The fully integrated HVAC system and fire sprinkler system, plus state-of-the-art Nurse Call System, means that the staff now have control of all aspects of the centre and can create a warm, welcoming atmosphere.

The significant landscaping areas surrounding the Hub blend it into the local Akaroa environment and were achieved with a large involvement from the local Onuku Iwi to finish off the Project, which has resulted in a very grateful local community and a very pleased Client.