Expanding surgical capacity while maintaining hospital operations
Building Better Care for the future
Rubix was engaged by Boulcott Hospital in 2022 to manage the delivery of a significant hospital extension on behalf of Boulcott Hospital, Rangatira Investments and Vital Healthcare. The project scope included the construction of two new operating theatres, an expanded Post Anaesthesia Care Unit (PACU), and enhanced support facilities, including a new modern kitchen.
Completed in 2025, the project increased the hospital's surgical capacity, improved patient recovery spaces, and upgraded essential infrastructure to meet growing healthcare demands.
Delivering a Complex Hospital Expansion
Rubix provided end-to-end construction project management services for this highly complex hospital expansion. A key requirement of the project was maintaining full hospital operations throughout construction, achieved through a comprehensive and carefully coordinated staging strategy.
Rubix played a central role in facilitating clear and consistent communication between hospital services, consultants and construction teams. By actively managing interfaces and ensuring stakeholders remained aligned, Rubix enabled uninterrupted healthcare delivery while allowing construction activities to proceed safely and efficiently.
Managing Complexity in a Live Hospital Environment
One of the primary challenges of the project was ensuring the hospital remained fully operational throughout construction. This required meticulous planning, proactive communication with the contractor, hospital staff and stakeholders, and strict adherence to health, safety and infection control requirements to minimise disruption to critical healthcare services.
Coordinating construction activities around ongoing patient care, managing noise and dust, and maintaining clear access routes for emergency services were all critical to preserving hospital functionality while progressing the build.
The hospital had undergone four major renovations throughout its history, resulting in limited as-built information from earlier projects. As construction progressed, a number of unforeseen conditions were encountered, requiring an agile and collaborative approach to design development and delivery.
Points of Interest
- Boulcott Hospital was established in 1984 as a partnership between eight specialists. Rangatira Investments acquired Boulcott Hospital in 2022.
- Rubix's services included acting as Engineer's Representative under NZS 3910:2013 and administering all consultant contracts.
- The highly constrained site created significant design and construction staging challenges, requiring extensive temporary works, including the establishment of a temporary PACU.
