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timber) beams, pre-cambered to an exact curvature to fit exactly between the two types of frame. A complex this size could look monolithic, but the architec-
ture has provided different textures and colours on every eleva- tion. About 45 per cent of the buildings have Sto render, while
Being a good neighbour in other ways
Balfour Beatty has community engagement programmes in Wakefield and Pontefract. • The group has helped local rugby and football teams, an allotments association and a school arts project. • The Pinderfields site has been designated a National Skills Academy with apprenticeships and on-site training facilities for local colleges. • Balfour Beatty organised the rebuilding of a bowling green pavilion in Pontefact and the construction of Featherstone War Memorial. • A hive of 20,000 rare black bees was moved from the Pinderfields site to join the hives of Pontefract Black Bee Society, which produces excellent honey and handcream. Balfour Beatty is sponsoring the society and fundraising for it by selling its products to the on-site team.
the rest use an array of other materials, including curtain walling, Trespa panelling, cedar panelling and decorative cut bricks. “From a construction point of view, the last thing you want
to do is build curves – but half our building is curved!” says Martin. “Aesthetically it’s fantastic and the sort of thing that make the difference between simply functional, affordable schemes and impressive buildings. The 10 courtyards have seating and decorative features, and
each has a distinctive appearance to make hospital navigation easier (which is also helped by colour-coded walls). One of them has rehabilitation ramps for patients learning to get about in wheelchairs. The courtyards boost the amount of natural light entering the hospital, which is important for the patients’ sense of wellbeing, and many mature trees enhance the estate’s appearance. Above the spacious 280-cover restaurant – which includes
an upper deck for hospital staff seeking privacy – is a light and elegant multi-faith area with windows including abstract- design stained glass from the old hospital’s chapel. The record-breaking NHS construction project has seen
87,000 sq m built in 190 weeks, fully commissioned and with acute departments fitted out. At the time of writing, half of the building is up and running and the rest is in its commissioning stage in the final weeks of the 190-week programme. For some, the closing stages of a large project can be fraught days, but Martin seems calm and cheerful. “I don’t do panic
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