"It depends on my mood, I suppose, but it is an incredible thing for Dunedin and it is a major investment that the Government is making. It’s going to be incredible."
Mr Haines, from Christchurch firm Warren and Mahoney, heads a 20- to 50-strong team of architects and designers "depending on what is going on", as well co-ordinating various sub contractors working on the $1.47billion overall project.
The outpatient building, on which construction has begun and which is planned to open in mid-2025, will house a range of day services as well as clinic rooms, day procedure suites and non-urgent radiology.
The larger inpatient building, to be erected on the former Cadbury factory site, has yet to have its resource consent application lodged by the Ministry of Health; a staggered process which Mr Haines — in his first interview about the new hospital — said was not unusual on large projects.
"It has posed some problems, but not insurmountable ones."
Like all current building projects, the hospital project had had to recognise the rising cost of building materials and adjust, Mr Haines said.
"There have been lots of eyes on this project from a budget perspective and we have had to make some trims here and there, but probably not noticeable in terms of the public view I would think.
"Through the design process we go through cost checks at various phases and we are asked sometimes to think of other ways to do it, of better ways to do it, more efficient ways of doing it," he said.
"What we have tried to do is to cut our cloth in the places that are important for us architecturally, and obviously the clinical outcome is No1.
"We can’t be trading off clinical outcomes for architectural outcomes, so it is a balancing act between those two things."
Warren and Mahoney had opened a Dunedin studio with five staff to work on the project, and was also working with Dunedin firm McCoy Wixon, Mr Haines said.
"We have made an investment in Dunedin and we are here for the long haul."
Te Whatu Ora Health New Zealand Southern programme director Bridget Dickson said Covid-19 had placed a strain on the planning process for the new hospital, but the pandemic had also afforded the chance to reconsider if the facility was future-proofed.
"One silver lining of designing a building during a pandemic is that we got the opportunity to reflect on what was designed and to ensure that it would set us up in the best position in the next pandemic or mini breakout or something."
Should something like Covid occur again, the outpatient building would remain open to all well people, while the inpatient building would be quarantined, she said.
