sponsored by HEALTH SECTOR NEWS
Lubetkin-designed Finsbury facility’s first phase restoration completed
NHS Property Services has announced that the first phase of restoration works at the historic, Grade 1 listed Finsbury Health Centre in Clerkenwell has been completed. Designed by Georgian British
architect, Berthold Lubetkin, in 1935, the building opened to patients in 1938, receiving partial restoration works in the 1990s, but required further repair due to water damage. Owner, NHS Property Services (NHSPS), commissioned Avanti Architects and worked alongside NHS colleagues at North Central London Integrated Care System to initiate remedial works on the medical centre, with the first phase completed this May.
A total of £1.5 m will be injected
into the restoration scheme, including £1.4 m from NHSPS, and £100,000 in Community Infrastructure Levy funds from Islington Council. Following full heritage assessments, the first phase has been completed, having been ‘undertaken sympathetically to respect the building’s unique significance while keeping disruption to services and patient access to a minimum’.
MTX to build new Surgical Elective Centre at John Radcliffe
A new Surgical Elective Centre incorporating seven new operating theatres will be built at the John Radcliffe Hospital in Oxford by Modern Methods of Construction specialist, MTX Contracts.
On completion, the building
Works on the roof in 2021 saw a waterproof membrane applied, while more recently completed works include repairs to the façades (two elevations at the front and two at the rear) replacement windows, curtain walling, and tiling to the clinical wings, and replacement of heavily damaged glass blockwork screens and render/concrete repair at the rear.
NHSPS says Avanti has carefully
sourced materials ‘to replicate the building’s aesthetic, preserving the historic look and feel’. Previous restorations in 1990
were led by architect, John Allan, an authority on the building, and friend of the original architect. Maintaining these ties, the latest works have been led by Avanti Architects’ director and project leader, Fiona Lamb, with consultancy input from John Allan.
Britplas now officially employee-owned
The owners of North- west based Britplas, a leading commercial glazing specialist, have transferred their equity to an Employee Ownership Trust (EOT), ‘marking a momentous shift’ in the company’s ownership structure, and ‘a significant milestone in its journey towards sustainable growth and employee empowerment’. An Employee Ownership
Trust is a legal entity that holds a stake in a company on behalf of its employees. The transaction was completed on 5 September 2024, with owners, Kevin Gorman and John Blackwell transferring 100% of their equity in Britplas companies to its EOT. Britplas, whose head office and manufacturing facility are in Warrington, is well-known for its ‘ground-breaking’ Safevent
accolades’ over the past two decades – for its ‘commitment to product innovation, excellence, and client satisfaction’, and has also experienced ‘remarkable growth’, seeing expansion in the UK and international markets, with a group turnover today of over £30 m. Kevin Gorman and John
anti-ligature window – specially developed for mental health environments, and also designs, manufactures, and installs, glazed façades for commercial buildings nationwide. Established in 2004, Britplas says it has ‘earned numerous
22 Health Estate Journal November 2024
Blackwell will continue leading the business with the same management team. Group MD, John Blackwell, (pictured), said: “The move to an EOT model is a hugely positive step for Britplas and its over 100 employees. I am immensely proud of what our team has achieved, and we are already seeing that by further empowering our employees as stakeholders in the business, we are helping promote a strong sense of shared purpose and responsibility which will create a platform for further growth.”
will provide additional operating theatres to address waiting lists for elective (routine) procedures, and meet the demands of the expanding population in Oxfordshire, Berkshire, and Buckinghamshire. The six- storey surgical hub for Oxford University Hospitals (OUH) NHS Foundation Trust will connect to the theatre suites in the existing West Wing building. The facility will include dedicated hybrid theatres designed to give the Trust a leading edge, and enable it to offer the most up-to-date procedures in suitable facilities, across multiple specialities. The project also includes associated infrastructure, landscaping, and parking. Previous projects completed
by MTX at John Radcliffe Hospital include the award- winning 48-bed Critical Care building completed from initial design to handover in just 15 months, which employed a ‘hybrid’ construction method and rapid design and planning process (HEJ – May 2022). The five-storey structure used 148 offsite-manufactured steel structural units craned into position floor by floor. MTX MD, David Hartley, said
MTX was delighted to once again be partnering the OUH NHS Foundation Trust ‘on another exciting project to deliver the highest quality care to patients’.
Courtesy of OUH NHS Foundation Trust
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