Hillmorton Acute Adult Facility

The Hillmorton Acute Adult Facility is a $136 million project as part of the major transformation of the New Zealand healthcare system which has been injected with significant investment in modernising hospital facilities, expanding service capacity, and improving healthcare access across the country. The project consists of an 80-bed adult inpatient mental health facility and supporting infrastructure for the first stage of the redevelopment of the Hillmorton campus.

Jensen Hughes was engaged by Te Whatu Ora ‐ Waitaha Canterbury to provide passive fire design and passive fire construction monitoring services, as well as fire engineering consultancy for the project. Our experienced team developed a comprehensive passive fire protection specification, in line with the new passive fire policies created by Health New Zealand Te Waipounamu. 

The fire engineering design was developed as an innovative alternative solution, closely aligned with the draft Health New Zealand Design Guidance Note (DGN), a document shaped in part by our expert’s direct involvement. Beyond satisfying NZ Building Code requirements, our design integrates advanced fire safety features that address both operational and clinical needs, informed by extensive workshops with clinical teams and Te Whatu Ora departments. Special consideration was given to anti ligature requirements essential for mental health environments. Notably, we overcame the challenge of incorporating timber cladding, a key architectural feature, through a creative engineered solution that preserved the design intent and received strong support from regulatory stakeholders.

Jensen Hughes also provided structural fire engineering (SFE) expertise, supporting the development of a pioneering SFE design that applies the slab panel method to optimise fire ratings for structural steel. This approach delivered significant construction cost savings and reduced the overall programme duration. Our close collaboration with the structural engineer and regulatory authorities enabled us to secure consent approval for this innovative solution.

Through our ongoing partnership with Te Whatu Ora – Waitaha Canterbury, Jensen Hughes is proud to have contributed to the safety, resilience, and long term success of this vital healthcare facility. Our consultancy was meticulously aligned with the most up to date guidelines and best practices. Notably, followed by the West Coast Mental Health Unit project, this project was the second mental health facility designed by Jensen Hughes to receive a ‘No further comments’ response from Fire and Emergency New Zealand on the design review memo, underscoring the quality and rigour of our fire engineering approach and our deep expertise in complex hospital design.