Roof a turning point on mental health building
Design centres on creating a welcoming environment and sense of wellbeing
TThe building’s design is also inspired by the nearby Tararua and Ruahine mountain ranges. Steve Crombie, Te Whatu Ora regional head of infrastructure
he new mental health unit being built at Palmerston North Regional Hospital now has a roof, allowing work on the building’s interior to progress.
The new unit will replace Ward 21, the hospital’s current Acute Inpatient Mental Health Unit, and will have 28 bedrooms.
The building’s design is centred on creating a welcoming environment that provides a sense of wellbeing and refuge, Steve Crombie said.
Crombie is the regional head of infrastructure — central for the Infrastructure and Investment Group at Health New Zealand Te Whatu Ora.
The building’s structure, layout and pathways are the result of consultation with iwi (led by Rangitane), other mana whenua, users’ groups, community groups, and clinicians.
The artworks, colours and materials chosen for the building reflect the gifted theme of Te Wao-Nui-a-Tane The Great Forest of Tane.
A whare whakatau has been incorporated into the design of the reception and waiting area, to provide an area where patients and their wha¯ nau can be welcomed into the facility, he said.
This area runs along the main ridgeline of the Heretaunga St building, emphasising the importance of the whare to the facility’s kaupapa.
“The whare and reception areas will be lined with timber panelling, with references to traditional Maori architecture,” Crombie said. “The building’s design is also inspired by the nearby Tararua and Ruahine mountain ranges.
“This can be seen in its roofline, which is made up of a series of steep pitches.”
The business case and budget for the project were approved in 2020. Since then, the design has been updated to reflect changes to the building code, and a requirement to manage airborne diseases, as well as to incorporate cultural elements, and improvements to the environmental sustainability of the build.
“Construction is expected to be completed before June 2025, with the building becoming operational soon afterwards,” he said.