The first stage of the development introduces purpose-built space for ambulatory services, clinic rooms, diagnostics and day procedures. The Outpatient Building includes four new day surgery theatres, providing additional procedural capacity to support the existing hospital network ahead of the larger acute services facility.
Engagement with clinical user groups has informed spatial planning and room configuration, ensuring that circulation, adjacencies and workflows reflect how care is delivered in practice. RCP's design management framework has structured this input and aligned it with construction delivery.
Cultural co-design has been embedded from the early stages with RCP leading the process between the design team and Aukaha, a rūnaka-owned organisation working directly with mana whenua on cultural design integration. Aukaha supported mana whenua to produce the cultural narrative Whakatuputupu, which is embedded throughout the buildings' cultural design elements.
The approach has focused on integrating local narratives into the buildings in ways that are meaningful and enduring.
Located on Dunedin's historic foreshore, the development has also required careful management of archaeological and heritage considerations throughout construction.
