NZIOB Awards Evening

The key to the design and delivery of the Christchurch Outpatients Building was the collaboration of the design team
and the extension of that collaborative culture to the main contractor following the procurement of Leighs.

The project team was not self-formed, rather assembled following an initial Government Electronic Tender Service (GETS) notice for
the consultants, and a later tender for the contractor; making the success of the collaboration even more remarkable.

The highly complex building was a challenge for all those involved in its realisation. The project brief was demanding
due to there being no entertainment of cost overruns, an immovable handover date, arduous seismic and fire specifications, and a tight triangular shaped site. 

From the first day there was a clear design vision that the design team bought into. Once the design was agreed, the team focused on aligning themselves to delivering the building within the tight programme.

An efficient project management structure including a robust communication process and developing setting protocols up front. This, in combination with the development of a collaborative culture, empowered the design team to get on with their work, building confidence, respect and trust within the team. Once the main contractor was procured, they too became assimilated into the team culture that empowered the collective.

What impressed the judges was that the project had an unwavering charter that the client, design team and contractor all signed up to. This included the commitment to a finalised brief and ensuring the resultant design would be delivered to the site fully coordinated. To defend this strategy, there were occasions when the team rejected last minute changes from the client, if it was viewed that those changes would compromise prior work.

The trust and non-adversarial dealings that occurred across all facets of this complex project were very evident.