Auckland’s new hospital is one of the largest and most technically advanced building projects ever undertaken in New Zealand. The new hospital campus is the equivalent size of 16 rugby fields, comprising 3500 rooms and providing 710 acute beds.

For IBM’s cabling division, the scope of the installation was vast – involving the installation of 10,000 jack points or individual cable runs, 80,000 metres of 4pr UTP Cat 5e cable, 6000 metres of 12 core MM fibre cable, 6000 metres of 100 pair voice cable, 20 communication cabinets, 13 hub rooms, wireless access points and a public address system with over 900 speakers. And if those numbers aren’t impressive enough, IBM was also required to install a master antenna system delivering signal to 1000 television sets.

Teamwork the key
According to IBM account manager Keith Handley, close cooperation between IBM, Fletcher Construction and hospital network manager John Irving, was critical to the success of the project. “John was very passionate about how he wanted the network to end up,” he says. “He wanted a supportable solution long term, while at the same time maximising the dollars spent on the project. So there was signifi cant liaison between John and our consultant to make sure that design principles were enforced and the project stayed on track with timelines and budgets.”

Likening the undertaking to assembling a jumbo jet – “It’s huge in the fi rst instance and very complex in the second” – Fletcher Construction project director Warren Hollings agrees that a team approach delivered results. “Good teamwork is the difference between success and failure,” he says. “A good team can produce results well beyond the sum value of the individuals involved.”

IBM’s on-site team of installers was 20 to 30 strong during the two-year construction period, says Handley, and was led by a full-time project manager. Looking back now that the project is completed, he says he’s more convinced than ever about the importance of assembling the right people from the outset. “You need key people that are experienced in this type of project,” he says. “You can’t all of a sudden put a whole group of new people in and expect things to run smoothly.”

The project manager position is critically important, he says. “They’ve got to drive everything – making sure people are doing what they’re supposed to be doing – reaching deadlines and staying focused right to the end. It’s interesting to note that what can happen on a job of this size is that everyone is keen and excited at the beginning, but they get about halfway through it and they lose interest. So a good project manager has to be a skilled motivator as well.”

The new hospital’s system was planned down to the last jack point, and efficiently managing all the implementation documentation was another key to the success of the project. “The paperwork generated was phenomenal,” says Handley. “There was a huge fl ow of it every day that we had to manage. Specifi cally, working in with the other sub-contractors – the electrical, the plumbing, the air conditioning and so on – we had to record where and when we were putting our services. We had to provide significant documentation for all this – and there was a lot of meetings and coordination with the other trades. This aspect of the project was very challenging – particularly at the start.”

A unique environment
Working on a hospital also provided a unique set of challenges not found in corporate offices. For one thing, cabling had to be delivered to beds, rather than workstations. “There are still office areas there which are standard locations,” says Handley, “but then they have outlets in the wards in the bed heads for example. All connections in the faceplates are RJ45, capable of connecting telephones, computers and intercom. Also, areas like operating theatres are pretty unique. You might think there wouldn’t be that much cable in there, but there’s actually a lot. They’ve even got data outlets on the end of the pendants that hold the lights that shine down on the operating table – so it’s totally different to an office environment.”

Also top of mind for the hospital and IBM, was future proofing the project for potential upgrades ahead. Access via a comprehensive cable system allows future cabling work to be achieved with minimal disruption to staff and patients. “We’ve allowed a lot of room for expansion on the cable tray,” says Handley, “and if they have any failures there’s redundant fibre and copper backbone cabling systems connecting the new building to the main server and PABX rooms. This provides contingency backup if needed.”

And the backup doesn’t end there, as Handley explains. “The whole installation is under a 20-year warranty that covers all components, workmanship and applications that can run over the category 5e cabling system,” he says. “If anything goes wrong with it we’ll sort it out.” Opting for a ‘one vendor’ solution was a wise choice on the part of the hospital he says. “In this type of scenario, what the customer gets is a quality system with all its components from one vendor. The warranty from IBM and Siemon offers a total system warranty. Sometimes people put in an outlet from one vendor and they buy cable from someone else and panels from someone else. In that case they’ve got a mix and it’s difficult to get an overall system warranty.”

Since securing the contract on the new Auckland City Hospital, Handley says the Auckland District Health Board have also awarded IBM the cabling contract for the remainder of the Auckland City Hospital campus.

March 2004