The Challenge
The site of the existing Sexual Health Clinic in central Christchurch was required as a part of the new boilerhouse facility which the CDHB was about to construct following the Christchurch earthquakes.
They found a replacement building in Upper Riccarton that had been constructed in the 1990's as a group medical centre, but which in more recent times have been used to house a large accountancy practice.
The requirement was to adapt the building to become the new clinic as expeditiously and as inexpensively as possible
Main Features
The building was provided throughout with air conditioning and fresh air by a number of "Temperzone" split system package air handlers.
Fresh air was a simple "bleed" into each air handling unit.
Domestic hot and cold water was a very simple piped system with local hot water cylinders.
Our brief was to carry out an initial condition study to establish the fitness for further use of the existing equipment, with an expressed wish by CDHB not to replace anything unless absolutely necessary. We were then to take the results of the condition study and translate them into finished mechanical, electrical, plumbing and drainage drawings and specifications for tendering and construction.
The Response
Bryn Martin spent a day on site and assessed all of the existing building services. We produced to the CDHB a report which (in essence) said that, yes they could be re-used, but that there was a significant risk associated with the air conditioning equipment which was already 20 years old and used the R22 refrigerant which was in the process of being phased out.
It also identified that there was a major problem with the existing means of supplying fresh air to the individual air handlers, and an equally major safety issue with access to the mechanical plant in the roofspace.
The remaining services were fit for reconfiguration and adaptation to future use.
In the event, to conserve capital, CDHB took the risk and stayed with the existing Temperzone air conditioning units.
The Works
Bryn Martin provided compete mechanical, electrical plumbing, and drainage drawings and specificatons.
The mechanical works involved completely re-calculating the heating, cooling, and ventilating loads to each space, and re-laying the supply and return ductwork in the building to m
atch the required CDHB layout. This was not easy, as the geometry of the Temperzone units only partially matched the new building layout.
Fresh air was addressed by adding to each air handler a dedicated fresh air fan which operates in tandem and injects a guaranteed quantity of fresh air at all times.
The re-arrangement of the hydraulic services to meet the needs of the consulting rooms and other spaces was an equally awkward re-arrangement. However a workable solution was found.
Safe access to the roof space was assured by the installation of a complete walkway internal to the space.
The electrical services were generally retained, but the lighting required a complete re-layout to match the new design. To conserve money, fittings recovered from another CDHB building were used.
For more Information on this or any other project or service please contact Brian Anderson or Tim Allan.