Akaroa Health Hub
Structural and Civil Engineering for a Community-Built Healthcare Facility
Project details
// Client -
Christchurch District Health board
// Location -
Akaroa, Canterbury
// Size -
884m2
// Services -
// Civil Engineering // Structural Engineering
// Project value -
$4.5m Approx.
The Akaroa Health Hub re-establishes vital healthcare services to the community after the closure of the former hospital following the 2011 earthquakes. Our structural and civil engineers delivered efficient design solutions for the Akaroa site. The facility includes three doctors’ surgeries, a procedure room, overnight/palliative care for up to four people, and an eight-bed aged-care wing, providing essential primary and residential care services.
We designed for the natural contour of the sloped site. The main east–west structure is broken into smaller north–south wings, reducing the perceived footprint and enabling efficient load paths and foundation systems.
With over $1 million raised by the community, cost efficiency was a critical driver for this project. The structural system was intentionally kept simple, robust, and material-efficient, reducing steel tonnage, simplifying connections, and ensuring rapid on-site construction. Our engineering teams worked closely with the design team to create solutions that were practical, buildable, and suited to the remote location and sloping terrain.
The completed Akaroa Health Hub is a community-built and community-backed project, a vital facility that restores local healthcare services while honouring Akaroa’s history, character, and spirit.
Civil Engineering and Site Infrastructure
Civil works for the Akaroa Health Hub centred on creating safe, logical access routes and delivering reliable drainage systems to support daily healthcare operations. Vehicle, ambulance, and pedestrian access is organised from Aylmers Valley Road, with an additional pedestrian link from Onuku Road, supported by clear wayfinding and separate entries for both the medical and aged-care facilities. The sanitary drainage network conveys wastewater across the site through two main lines running west to east before connecting into the site’s sewer system at the northeast corner. These civil engineering components provide the essential infrastructure needed for the facility to operate smoothly and support the health hub’s long-term service delivery to the community.
Related projects
Farmer Crescent, Wellington - Structural Engineering for Kāinga Ora Housing
Rimutaka St, Upper Hutt - Delivering Quality Public Housing in Upper Hutt
