Source: Waikato District Health Board
Seismic assessments undertaken for four Waikato Hospital buildings
Te Whatu Ora – Health New Zealand and Hamilton District Council have been working together to assess the earthquake resilience status of four buildings on the Waikato Hospital Campus.
Seismic assessments of three of the buildings have been completed, and these are indicating ratings above the 34%NBS threshold.
The fourth building, the Elizabeth Rothwell Building, requires a more complex assessment approach, which will be completed in February 2023.
A preliminary assessment, however, indicates the building will fall under the 34%NBS threshold, which requires the issue of an earthquake prone building notice.
It has been assessed relative to the requirements of an importance level 3 (IL3) structure which applies to buildings of high importance, requiring a higher standard than buildings of a lower importance rating.
The primary structure of the Elizabeth Rothwell building is relatively robust, as it features concrete wall elements with a reasonable level of strength when assessed against current codes, and there are no concerns in relation to the vertical load carrying capacity of the structure.
Te Whatu Ora Waikato Interim District Co-Director, Chris Lowry, said expert guidance had provided assurance the buildings could remain in service ahead of any upgrades. The current assessment would require any mitigation work to be done within the next 12.5 years.
“Although this has not been identified as requiring an urgent response, once the detailed assessment has been completed, we would expect to start planning any remedial work immediately,” Ms Lowry said.
“The Elizabeth Rothwell building will be included in the seismic resilience programme currently underway. A key part of this programme is providing our staff, patients, and community with the assurance that important facilities are maintained, safe, and fit for purpose.”
The buildings will display notices advising of their status until further investigation and any required remedial work has been carried out.
