MODULAR BUILD


halls to custodial suites. We specialise in delivering fast-track projects in live environments, and for decades, the NHS has entrusted us to supply high specification, durable spaces, suited to the unique needs of a healthcare setting. Our turnkey service allows clients to


hand responsibility of the design and build to a trusted supplier, with our dedicated Construction division managing each project from start to finish, and a Project manager attending site regularly to ensure open-ended communication and the smooth running of the programme. For hospitals such as the George Eliot Hospital in Nuneaton, we work alongside our trusted partners, consultants, and specialist suppliers, to supply fully compliant facilities. In 2021, we delivered two buildings for the George Eliot Hospital NHS Trust – a 30 bed orthopaedic ward, and a hybrid twin UCV theatre suite – both of which met the Trust’s obligations under the relevant Health Technical Memoranda (HTM) and Health Building Notes (HBN).


A concrete floor module For the theatre building, Wernick produced a concrete floor module which delivers a 3 m floor-to-ceiling height, well- suited to intricate operating environments. Skirtless ultraclean ventilation (UCV) canopies and satellite lighting enhance both operating areas, maximising their spacious and modern feel. As well as theatres, ‘pre-op’, and recovery rooms, the building features a bright and open staff base, changing rooms, showers, and a staff room. For the Queen Alexandra Hospital in


Portsmouth, our specialist modular team developed a standardised modular system with the pandemic in mind. Designed for increased heights, spans, and widths, it allows us to incorporate a four-bed ward within just two modules. Working with NHS Trusts and fire engineers, we designed and tested the exterior envelope of the building system to meet all of Part B of the Building Regulations’ non-combustible building criteria. At design stage clients can specify which items they want incorporated into the standard design; these include doors, IPS units, plumbing, and electrics. All standard components are provided with warranties, and a digital operation and maintenance manual is supplied with each building.


Factory car park set-up We installed and fully fitted the new system in our factory car park – this allowed the client to visit us and see the building ‘up close’ prior to delivery. The modules’ plug and play connections meant they could be lifted and moved directly to the hospital and reconnected. Utilising our new system reduced the


programme from an anticipated 44 weeks to just 28, which, along with an earlier


finish, helped to reduce pressure on other departments and ambulance waiting times. The system has since been rolled out to other hospital projects, such as Kingston Hospital in Surrey, to help relieve pressure on the NHS. Putting the safety and comfort of staff


and patients first, Wernick fast-tracked the development of our new system for the Portsmouth project to ensure speed of build. This increased the pre-manufactured value of the building to 75 per cent. Onsite deliveries, vehicle and plant movements, and sub-contractor visits, all reduced by at least 30 per cent. The building site was in close proximity


to the Queen Alexandra Hospital’s helipad, and directly beneath one of its two incoming flight paths. While craning in our modules, we worked with the hospital’s Estates team to devise a ‘Helicopter Response Procedure’ to ensure that once notified of any inbound aircraft, all installation works could be ceased safely and swiftly.


Working around other contractors During our time at the hospital, construction began on a multi-storey car park in the vicinity of the new building. Working around another contractors’ plant, vehicles, staff, and deliveries added an unexpected challenge to the build, but not one that couldn’t be overcome with continuous lines of communication between the car park operator and Wernick’s experienced construction team. In addition, the main blue light route to the hospital’s Accident and Emergency Department also acted as the main access route to our building site. Despite any challenges, our team delivered the building ahead of schedule, and the results speak for themselves.


The building’s key features As well as the 27 wards, with space for 72 beds, the two-storey building comprises therapy rooms, stores, offices, a patient day room, and kitchens on each floor. We completed each room with a higher M&E specification, and contractors installed heavy duty doorsets, and specialist services such as HTM-compliant bedhead trunking and medical gases. The building is linked to an existing building at the first floor via an additional module, (taking the number of modules used for the build up to 77), which ensures comfort and privacy for patients, as well as allowing the smooth transfer of patients to other areas of the hospital as and when required. Externally the new building features rainscreen Trespa cladding panels to complement nearby buildings, and afford it a sleek and modern feel.


Community engagement As with every large project that Wernick undertakes, community engagement


is extremely important. In this instance, we took advantage of local guidelines, and liaised with Portsmouth City Council’s Economic Growth, Skills and Employee Committee to engage with the local workforce. In accordance with the Portsmouth Plan (2012), Wernick developed a Local Employment and Training Strategy to provide employment opportunities for job-seekers classified as NEET (not in employment, education or training) living within a 10-mile radius of the site. We also engaged with Highbury


College in Portsmouth’s Construction & Built Environment Department (based at the Highbury Northarbour Centre) to provide work experience placements for several of its built environment students, and implemented our initiatives for training and upskilling our existing workforce throughout the duration of the project.


Rakesh Sandhu


Kesh Sandhu, head of Sales at Wernick Buildings, has eight years’ experience in the modular construction industry, having previously worked in the business- to-business sector in utilities and telecoms. ‘Taking a hands-on approach’, he has successfully worked with clients to deliver multiple schemes across both the public and private sectors, and says he takes pride in the energy and innovation he brings to all projects to bring a conceptual idea to life. Through the projects he has managed, and the experience he has gained on complex and time-sensitive schemes, he has gained a wealth of experience in project management, design, and commercial delivery. Wernick said: “His adeptness in managing multiple stakeholders, and asking the right questions, has allowed him to be successful in delivering muti-million pound projects in sectors including healthcare, education, and utilities.”


June 2022 Health Estate Journal 71


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