New Dunedin Hospital

Reducing Costs and Supporting Green Star Rating Goal

The New Dunedin Hospital is set to be a more modern, efficient and fully digital healthcare facility designed to address the needs of the Southern region for the next 40-50 years.

As the current largest construction project in New Zealand, the hospital is being delivered across two stages:

• Outpatient Building (planned to open in January 2025)
• Inpatient Building (planned to open in April 2028)

The hospital aims to achieve a five Green Star sustainability rating, setting a new benchmark for environmentally responsible healthcare facilities. Alongside this, the building's innovative design and cutting-edge technology promise to streamline patient flow, enhance access to diagnostics and treatment spaces, and significantly reduce unnecessary delays.

Recognising the complex challenges inherent in such an expansive and complex project, the project’s stakeholders decided to involve specialised experts like Fireshield early on as to ensure efficiency and smooth delivery.

Fireshield was appointed as fire protection consultants from the project's inception, providing specialised support from initial design to the final stages of construction, including supplying our own products, 920KS and Steel 1001.

Our Involvement

Meeting Green Star standards

From the project's inception, Fireshield has provided products that align with environmental standards while maintaining high performance.

Fireshield’s 920K and Steel 1001 achieve this balance between sustainability and efficacy. Both are Green Star compliant, with Steel 1001 also being Red List Free.

These solvent-free products boast low Volatile Organic Compound (VOC) emissions, contributing to a safer work environment during construction and a healthier indoor atmosphere post-completion. This feature is particularly crucial in a hospital setting where air quality is paramount for patient well-being and recovery

These products also support the hospital's long-term sustainability objectives. Engineered for durability, these solutions are designed to last the building's lifespan with minimal maintenance requirements. This longevity significantly reduces the need for frequent replacements or repairs, further minimising the facility’s environmental footprint over time.

Lowering costs and providing innovative solutions

New Dunedin Hospital’s scale and complexity demanded a delicate balance of timing, cost-effectiveness, functionality, compliance, and durability in both product selection and application.

Fireshield’s own Steel 1001, a waterborne system, also offered significant cost savings without sacrificing functionality. However, aware that Dunedin's climate could complicate the application of a waterborne product, Fireshield suggested a more innovative approach. We proposed wrapping the building to create dry zones, allowing teams on site to progress systematically through the build.

This solution overcame the climate-related challenges and proved highly cost-effective, reducing system costs compared to traditional methods.

On top of this, there was a need for the design to consider fire protection systems around medical equipment such as MRI machines. These large, complex pieces of equipment were attached directly to the building's steel structure.

Fireshield conducted specialised fire tests to address this challenge and ensure that our intumescent coatings would perform effectively in these unique spaces. Our in-house experts had to consider how the attachment of medical equipment to steel members might affect the performance of the fire protection systems. This required careful analysis and adaptation of standard approaches.

Continuous testing and ongoing support

Throughout the construction process, Fireshield has been available to provide immediate advice and solutions to issues as they arise. We’ve worked closely with the main contractor and other subcontractors, helping to coordinate work and ensure that fire protection measures are integrated seamlessly with other building systems.

This has involved regular visits where we have been able to provide support and identify and address issues early, preventing costly delays.

When unexpected challenges arose, or necessary changes to the design were implemented, Fireshield conducted specific fire tests to verify the safety and compliance of these approaches. This flexibility has allowed the project to adapt to changes while maintaining strict safety standards.

Outcome

While the Dunedin Hospital project is still ongoing, Fireshield's involvement has already yielded significant positive outcomes.

Fireshield's multidisciplinary team has collaborated effectively with other project stakeholders, providing invaluable insights and supporting the project’s goal of achieving a Green Star rating.

Fireshield's involvement in the Dunedin Hospital project has not only contributed to the creation of a state-of-the-art medical facility but has also underscores the value of specialised knowledge, innovative thinking, and collaborative problem-solving in modern construction.

"As the main contractor for the New Dunedin Hospital project, we initially had reservations about using single-pack intumescent paints due to performance and application concerns. However, Fireshield's innovative hybrid single and two-pack paint system, which included planned environmental controls during construction, exceeded our expectations in every aspect.
The Fireshield solution met the stringent fire protection standards required and delivered significant savings in both cost and time during the construction phase.

Fireshield’s team was highly professional, providing exceptional support throughout the project, and their product proved to be efficient and reliable. We are extremely pleased with the results and would not hesitate to recommend Fireshield’s intumescent paint systems for future projects requiring top-tier fire protection." - Anthony Franicevic, Senior Project Manager, Southbase Construction (Main Contractor, New Dunedin Hospital)