Three Southern District Health Board buildings have been earmarked for possible demolition because of the prohibitive cost of strengthening them, a report to tomorrow's hospitals' advisory committee meeting says.
They are Hulme House, in Dunedin's High St, the Early Intervention building, in Union St in the city, and the Wellchild Building at Southland Hospital. The buildings have all been evacuated.
The committee will consider the seismic assessments of the DHB's building stock, of which 10 buildings had failed to meet the design standard (more than 65% of the building code requirements).
The cost of strengthening the three buildings was too expensive to justify, and a decision on the matter was required, the building and property services report said.
Strengthening was being costed for other buildings, which included two mental health wards at Wakari Hospital (9A and 9B).
Asked if the wards were safe, chief operating officer (Otago) Vivian Blake said the remedial work on wards 9A and 9B was reasonably minor.
"Please be assured that these buildings are safe to continue to work in."
Five buildings, including the three for possible demolition, received an E rating, achieving 20% of the building code requirement or lower.
The other two E rated buildings were the old nurses' home and administration building at Southland Hospital, which had already been tagged for demolition.
The DHB was unable to say whether a third party had opted to pay to save them.
A hold was put on demolition last July to allow a third party to fund strengthening work; both buildings have a category 1 historic classification.
Another three buildings were below 65% of the building code requirements, and would be strengthened, including Helensburgh House at Wakari Hospital.
Structural assessments from Oamaru, and Dunstan Hospital, were still awaited.
