Location: Christchurch, New Zealand.

Architect: Jacobs in collaboration with CCM Architects.

The first of three large earthquakes that struck New Zealand’s South Island in September 2010 severely damaged the facilities of the Canterbury District Health Board and had a big influence on planning and procedures for facilities. In order to immediately accommodate services affected by the earthquake, the city of Christchurch needed urgent recovery. To accommodate the General Outpatient Service, a temporary building for the delivery of outpatient services was rapidly built. The Outpatient Services became disconnected as other specialist outpatient services were spread across several locations, temporary structures, and rented spaces. The interim arrangement had a negative impact on the services’ capacity to sustain themselves, provide the chosen Model of Care effectively, and maintain patient and staff satisfaction. The goal of the project was to create an “optimised,” fit-for-purpose facility to consolidate all outpatient services, both clinical and non-clinical, into the Christchurch Outpatient Building, one highly functional, effective structure.

The new structure has a total area of 10,500 square metres that is split among 5 storeys, including the ground floor. In addition to providing adaptable, multipurpose areas, the facility is also required to be future-proofed to enable its operations to change over time in response to the extreme seismic risk in Christchurch and the constantly changing demands on healthcare.