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NZ's First "Green Star" Hospital to Open in Christchurch

NZ's First 4 Star "Green Star" Hospital to Open in Christchurch

Forté Health will officially open a new $55m surgical hospital in the Christchurch CBD tomorrow.

Featuring the latest patient and surgical facilities, the hospital is New Zealand's joint 100th 4 star “green star” building and the first hospital to obtain this rating.

Forté Health shareholder and Christchurch Urologist, Peter Davidson, says he, his fellow shareholders and staff are all incredibly proud of the building and the services that can be provided in Christchurch

“It’s ground-breaking in so many ways,” he says. “The green star rating for one, how safe it is for another and of course having a state-of-the-art building open and operating in the CBD sends such a positive message about the recovery in Christchurch,” he says. “The services Forté Health provides are absolutely key for the public as our city population continues to increase.”

The building on Peterborough Street includes patient and surgical facilities, comprising four fully equipped theatres, a large bright and spacious 12 bed recovery area and two day lounges. The ward stay suites are located on level one and provide 14 overnight suites. Consulting rooms are located on the ground and first floor, along with a laboratory and radiology department.

Forté Health’s building is the first in New Zealand to utilise steel PRESSS technology and features seismic dampening technology (AFS) developed and tested by the University of Canterbury. This provides the highest level of structural strength, stability and safety possible for patients, clinicians, staff and visitors.

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Forté Health and their tenants provide approximately 150 jobs to health professionals, business and facility managers, PA’s, administrators and café staff. These numbers will increase as the business grows.
Mr Davidson says the opportunities the hospital provides specialists and others in the professional medical sector are significant, as the city continues to rebuild.

“Our city needs people from all walks of life to live and work here”, he says. “The professional development and opportunities the facility offers our specialists and staff, are quite outstanding.”

One example of the leading edge technology can be seen in the operating theatres which are equipped with high definition cameras that can feed images through to training rooms, where a procedure can be closely followed by other specialists or students.

Peter Davidson says the fact that Forté Health will be the first hospital in New Zealand to receive a 4-star green rating from the New Zealand Green Building Council is a genuine commitment to environmental sustainability.

“The building design has provided for solar power, smart lighting, heat recovery air conditioning system, waste reduction, and a built in energy optimising building management system. We are building for the future and it was extremely important that we set an example, particularly in a city where so many buildings will be rebuilt,” he says. “Effort will now go into optimising the processes within the hospital and other tenancies to align with the environmentally sustainable nature of the building.”

Alex Cutler, Chief Executive of the New Zealand Green Building Council agrees, adding that this 100th green star building milestone marks another stage in the transition to Green Star as ‘the new normal’.

“Increasingly business and industry is realising that to maximise value, performance and longevity, our buildings need to be designed and built with people and the environment in mind,” she says.

ENDS

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