Waipapa's ICU Pod Receives Triple Recognition

The project was entered by Leigh's Construction and while a modest project, the ICU Pod was built on a foundation of trust and collaboration between the client, main contractor, and designer.

From the early involvement of clinical users, valuable insights were gained regarding the adjacent ICU areas. The project team readily accommodated requested changes, minimising response time and optimising functionality. Despite facing significant challenges, including an initially planned completion date of August 2022, the team accepted the ambitious goal of finishing the project by April 2022. They navigated obstacles such as market challenges, disruptions in the supply chain, and even staff contracting COVID-19. The decision to proceed with briefing, design, documentation, and procurement ahead of approval proved instrumental in the timely delivery of products. The team also successfully managed the complexities of construction activities taking place near the operational ICU, ensuring minimal disruption. In the end, the project was completed safely, well within the targeted completion date, and with minimal disruption to the hospital's operations.

The level of commitment and enthusiasm shown by all project partners, including the client, council, consultant team, contractor, subcontractors and suppliers was evident throughout the project with each person working together towards the common goal.

It was especially heartening to hear from the ICU clinical team that COVID-positive patients were being successfully treated in the pod within a few weeks of completion, 18 weeks earlier than originally planned –exactly the result we aimed for.

The commitment and approach by the Chow:Hill team, in particular Neil Kaiser, Paul Kamstra, and Bridget Trevena, completed a “once in a career” project for many of us.

Entrant

Leighs Construction

Project Partners

Chow:Hill (Architect/Designer), Leighs Construction (Project Manager), Proj-X Solutions (Client Project Manager)

Owned By

Te Whatu Ora, Waitaha Canterbury