33
management; it doesn’t work,” he says. “I’ve phased every part of the building, and sticking to sequence has been the key to the project – although it’s extremely tempting at times to deviate. “The Balfour Beatty staff peaked at 180. I believe in being
calm and approachable and leading from the front: I don’t ask people to do things I’m not prepared to do. The project’s coming in on time, on programme, on budget and to a very high standard.” So how did this become a record-breaking programme? A
vital ingredient has been prefabrication of modular units for lighting and services, and of en-suite bathrooms. The 6 m long lighting modules carry ductwork pipes and cable trays, and fit easily into soffits, while ‘plug and play’ bathrooms arrived with tile-effect moulded walls where baths, basins, lavatories and other fittings were already attached. The fibreglass pods were slotted into position and normal walls built around them. In all cases the prefabrication approach saves time and reduces accident risk. Services are fed either from the basement upwards or from
the roof downwards. Prefabricated air-handling units and heat stations are located discreetly on the roof, while at basement level is the ‘tug route’, an underground service corridor for facilities management and has electrical tugs for Balfour Beatty WorkPlace to distribute laundry and all goods in and out via strategically positioned lifts. “Modern boilers just get smaller, and I’m amazed how small
Pinderfields’ three units are,” says Chris. “That’s partly about the energy targets that have been achieved, and also there are some clever things in the M&E design to do with chilled beams and constant temperature heating circuits. You’re not trying to heat up spaces from a cold start, just topping up the tempered air and balancing peaks and troughs. “An energy centre doesn’t have to be ugly and conspicuous,
with two chimneys that can be seen across the city. We’ve got the ductwork in one of the main buildings, the boilers down below on level zero and the only thing you see is the external substation.” The greatest satisfaction has been in witnessing the new hos-
pital come to life. “It’s the biggest thing
I’ve ever built and defi- nitely my proudest achievement,”
says
Martin. “It was a fast- track NHS construc- tion, so we needed a strong team of people – and, with good planning and management, and modular systems, it’s a success.”
Construction contractor - Balfour Beatty Construction Architects - Building Design Partnership Facilities manager - Balfour Beatty WorkPlace
Main Subcontractors Roofing - Prater External envelope - MPG Internal partitions - OCL Ceilings - Titan Control mechanical engineering - Johnson Emergency systems - ADT Modular systems - Balfour Beatty Modular Systems Electrical/specialist services - Trilux
Left: The energy centre Top: Restaurant Above: Multi-faith area
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68