When you enter a hospital, you can typically tell within moments how much thought has gone into its design. It’s not only about how it looks, it’s also about how it feels. Lighting, space, and flow all matter, especially when people are coming in for something as personal as surgery.

That belief informed everything we did in our reworking of and additions to the Kapiti Day Hospital in Paraparaumu, just outside Wellington. The project was more than the rehab of a building. It was about making patients comfortable, staff working effectively, and specialists having the materials, equipment, and room they need to deliver top care.

Why the Renovation Was Needed

Kapiti Day Hospital has been well known in the region for years and provides a day-stay service delivering procedures including eye surgery, cataract operations, and endoscopy treatments. But as more people in the area were opting to receive local healthcare, the hospital had to expand.

The current layout had worked well for the community, but it was beginning to strain at its limits. The staff were coping with a growing number of patients and the facilities to accommodate newer equipment and procedures. The aim of the renovation and expansion was a simple one:

• Make space for surgeries and recovery
• Upgrade the hospital to current healthcare standards
• And the entire experience is more comfortable for patients and staff, respectively

The vision was simple: to create a place that could continue supporting top-quality care in Paraparaumu so people no longer have to travel to Wellington to do so.

Design That Works for Everyone

Our Elite Built team out of Christchurch has worked closely with the Hospital management, designers, and health professionals to deliver this one. Every decision, whether about the floor plan or final fittings, was made bearing people in mind, those who will work there and many others who come through the doors every day.

The renovation included:

• New and improved operating theatres
• Larger recovery and treatment rooms
• Refurbished reception and waiting area
• Refurbished staff areas for nurses and physicians
• And a more intuitive arrangement overall, for better workflow

Building Better Operating Theatres

Among the major improvements were new operating theatres. These are the soul of any day hospital: here, precision and safety are everything.

We collaborated with the hospital’s specialists to make sure each theatre facilitated this kind of surgery: cataract and eye operations, endoscopy treatments. To every degree, from lighting levels to air-flow rates, everything was engineered to assist the surgical team to do their work efficiently and safely; nothing was considered more precious than the seconds that surgeons faced when putting a patient back together.

The product is manufactured from top-quality medical-grade material (PC and silicone), which is used to create baby bottles, so you can trust that it is safe and free of BPA and other toxic materials. The design of the layout was considered in a way that staff can work comfortably, and equipment can be easily taken out as needed.

Today, these theatres can accommodate the flexibility and technology available for a broader spectrum of day surgery, when more patients per week can be cared for in the hospital.

Comfortable Recovery Spaces

Following a procedure, patients require time to rest and recuperate, and where they recuperate can have a big impact. The new recovery rooms were created with this in mind.

Soft lighting, muted tones, and well-spaced recovery bays provide a serene environment that can help patients keep stress at bay. Privacy was one concern, but so is accessibility: Nurses can keep an eye on patients without making them feel enclosed.

It’s a level of consideration that extends to the consultation and treatment rooms, where patients meet with specialists prior to surgery, as well as after. These rooms are plush, private, and monied to alleviate a patient’s mind as they undergo treatment.

Welcoming Reception and Waiting Areas

Walking into a hospital is typically stressful, so the team had wanted to design reception and waiting areas that felt different, warm and welcoming, as well as open and easily navigable.

The new design is all natural light, clear signage, and ample space for patients and their families to wait in comfort. The goal was to make the place feel less like a hospital and more like a contemporary care centre.

The new check-in area also helps staff flow patients in and out of the clinic more easily to provide a smoother check-in and appointment process. It’s a small move, but it is transformative for the experience overall.

Supporting the People Who Care

Behind every hospital that runs smoothly, there is a crew of hard-working staff. The Kapiti Day Hospital team is committed nurses, surgeons, nd support staff thwhoo the extra mile for their patients every single day.

We ensured that when we rebuilt, we created better staff spaces, places where they can come and rest, reground themselves, and prepare for patients. These new staff rooms, prep areas are functional and confidential, which benefits the work environment.

Because when staff know they are supported, quality of care gets better as a matter of course, and that was an important piece of this project.

What Services are Newly Provided After Renovation?

As a result of these additional facilities, Kapiti Day Hospital can provide more specialist services. The refurbished operating theatres are helping the team tackle more complex eye operations, perform cataract surgeries, nd undertake endoscopies.

New consultation rooms can also now have pre- and post-surgery appointments with visiting specialists, not always previously possible.

These upgrades will ensure patients throughout Kapiti and Wellington have better access to high-quality care, closer to home.

The Team Behind the Build

A project like this doesn’t come together by chance. It’s the result of collaboration, communication, and shared commitment.

Elite Built led the construction and fit-out, working alongside key partners:

• Lume Design, which managed the layout and aesthetics of the facility
• Kapiti Day Hospital management, which provided real-world insight into what patients and staff needed
• Healthcare equipment suppliers, who integrated modern medical systems into the design

Together, we turned an ambitious plan into a well-functioning, modern healthcare space, one built to serve the community for many years to come.

A Facility to Mirror the Community

The upgraded Kapiti Day Hospital is so much more than a new building; it’s the microcosm of the Kapiti Coast: modern, welcoming, full of care.

From the new operating theatres to recovery, we have created every aspect of our hospital to make healthcare as simple and personal as possible. Patients are now able to receive state-of-the-art treatments in a safe, convenient location, and staff have a place to work that supports them in their best work.

Proudly Made in New Zealand, for New Zealand

At Elite Built, we are excited to have helped create a building that really is community-serving. We have worked on countless projects throughout Christchurch, Wellington, across the greater New Zealand region,  but this one is special to us because it encapsulates everything we stand for: craftsmanship, collaboration..

Everything we create, from hospitals to homes and commercial properties, is about more than bricks and mortar; it’s about the people who use these spaces. That’s what enables and inspires us to do great work, always.

Why Choose Elite Built?

When you work with Elite Built, you’re not hiring a builder; you’re enlisting our team to bring your project in on time, on budget, and without headaches.

• 20+ years of experience in the New Zealand built environment
• Over years of experience in healthcare and commercial builds
• Transparent, client-focused project management
• Locally based - committed to Christchurch and beyond

So, if you want to renovate, fit out for a commercial project, or custom build something special, we love to bring it to life for you as well – and put all the same care and attention we put into Kapiti Day Hospital.

Elite Built – Building with Integrity, Craftsmanship and Care

438 Saint Asaph Street, Phillipstown, Christchurch 8011