ARCHITECTURE & DESIGN
One of the main concourse steel conical structures.
ward block above to the orthogonal layout of the floors below. The main concourse elements are formed in steel, including the roof deck trusses, the public cores, and special elements such as the performance steps and the cones of the lecture theatre and the multi-faith space. The granite façade to the lower
storeys is constructed as an open-jointed rainscreen, supported at each floor level, and tied back into EPDM-wrapped SFS and pre-cast concrete backing walls. The ward block was clad in a unitised curtain walling façade system, with stick curtain walling systems used at the main entrances and interstitial level. The panels of the standing seam double curved roof were formed on site in rolling machines craned into position on the Level 4 slab. Building services plant is housed across
three locations. The basement plant spaces house combined heat and power plant, standby generators, water storage, oil storage, medical gas, and air-handling plant for the finger blocks. The Level 3 plant room houses air-handling plant, serving the operating theatres, ICU, and A&E departments. Air-handling systems dedicated to the wards and the chiller plant for the entire building are located on Level 7.
Standardisation Standardisation has been used at all stages of the design and construction process, with recognition of the benefits for quality, time, and cost. An early process focused on progressing the detail design of the most repeatable rooms. Carefully designed client consultation informed the development of clinical layouts, streamlining the process, and maximising the opportunities for standardisation. During frame construction, use of a prefabricated roll-out reinforcement mat system for suspended slabs resulted in significant time and material savings compared with loose-laid reinforcement. Prefabricated bathroom pods were used for the ward block patient bedrooms, achieving programme gains by removing issues of multiple trades sequencing, and providing an enhanced factory-finish
An aerial photograph of the ward block unitised façade.
quality. Reflecting the modular room layout inside, the ward façade also lent itself to prefabrication, and was delivered to site in unitised panels of glazed and insulated spandrels, which were directly craned into position on the frame. M&E services modules for many of the risers and corridor were also prefabricated offsite.
Digital technology A full level 2 collaborative BIM platform facilitated efficient design development and coordination from the earliest studies. The design team utilised integrated Codebook and Revit software to link, import, and report back room datasheet database information with the Revit models, giving a high degree of confidence in the accuracy of area and equipment scheduling. Model ownership passed to the contractor for the construction stage, and subsequent contractor-led coordination was run through the Autodesk BIM 360 Glue cloud-based tool. Quality and compliance inspections by the design and contractor quality teams are being carried out on the Autodesk BIM 360 Field platform. Issues raised through tablet-based
interfaces on site are synchronised back to the ‘cloud’ database, where they are tracked for progress, and then evidence of close-out is recorded. This was critical in generating the record of circular close- out of compliance issues required by the Irish Building Control Regulations. All project information is issued to the project common data environment, Viewpoint for Projects, making it navigable and retrievable by all parties.
An inspirational project As a high-profile project of national importance, the New Children’s Hospital has faced many challenges during its development, including, most recently, the COVID-19 pandemic. With the completion of the envelope imminent, the building is recognisable in its final form, and is settling into its place in the city. Work on the internal fit-out is well advanced, and the building will be handed over to the
client for a period of final mobilisation ahead of opening in 2024. There is more work to be completed in the meantime, but the entire project team is motivated by its involvement in such an inspirational project, and the transformative contribution it will make to children’s healthcare in Ireland.
Bobby Conroy
Bobby Conroy is an Architect director in BDP’s Dublin studio. A design- focused, delivery-oriented architect with extensive experience in the education and healthcare sectors, he leads the New Children’s Hospital team in the Dublin Studio. As well as focusing on efficient delivery as a member of the BDP project implementation group, he also has a long background in sustainability, re-use, and regeneration, and holds a Master’s Degree in Sustainable Architecture from the Centre for Alternative Technology in Wales. He has won and been shortlisted for several high-profile architecture and urban regeneration competitions, and has completed numerous award-winning buildings in Ireland and the UK. Recent projects include the New Children’s Hospital, TUD Grangegorman Research Hub, NUIM masterplan, and Coláiste Iognáid in Galway.
August 2022 Health Estate Journal 49
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