Waipapa Building Project – Tower C

The construction of Tower C, part of the ongoing redevelopment of Christchurch Hospital, will contain five floors, creating space for a further 160 inpatient beds (64 to be fitted out initially on two floors).

Tower C will sit alongside Waipapa’s existing two towers, which were completed as part of the first stage of the campus redevelopment and opened in 2020.

The co-design approach to Waipapa as a whole has included a clinician-led process to pilot key layouts and design elements, such as a new ‘linear multi-bed’ configuration custom-designed to deliver key clinical principles (in particular nursing ‘line of sight’ to the patient).

For Tower C, seismic strengthening and resilience to withstand earthquakes and provide health services immediately post-disaster are an integral part of the design. The facility and services are also planned to enable a response to future pandemic events, including increased airflow and separation of wards. Tower C includes two plant levels to service the new wards and provision for links through to future buildings identified in the site master plan.

At 62,000 square metres in total, the Waipapa Acute Services Building is currently South Island’s largest hospital building, and the additional tower will add a further 16,000 square metres.

It is anticipated that the third tower will be completed by quarter three, 2025.

A render of the new third tower to be constructed on the east end of the Waipapa building. A render of the new third tower to be constructed on the east end of the Waipapa building. A render of the new third tower to be constructed on the east end of the Waipapa building.

A render of the new third tower to be constructed on the east end of the Waipapa building.

A render of the new third tower to be constructed on the east end of the Waipapa building