Forte Health

Wilson and Hill Architects were engaged to design the 3 level base building for Forte Health a new day stay hospital and specialist centre in central Christchurch (the hospital fitout on Levels 1 & 2 has been designed by Klein). The building has a contemporary highly glazed façade with deep vertical and horizontal fins providing moderated light to all four sides and meets the design brief for a building with a strong presence, robustness and sense of quality. The building has been designed with a post-tensioned steel PRESSS system, incorporates a generator, potable water storage and waste collection tank to achieve the design standard for an Importance Level 4 category building.  Forte Health can therefore remain operational after a substantial seismic event. A central feature is a lightwell that brings natural light into the heart of the building. The building has been designed to meet fundamental environmental principals and incorporates a sustainable feature which has resulted in the building being awarded the first Green Star accreditation in NZ for a Hospital.