OFFSITE CONSTRUCTION
cassettes which integrated with the modular structure to provide a truly seamless extension without the need for any ramps and steps.
In order to replicate the appearance of the existing hospital, the new wing has a faceted external facade to create curved ends to the wing. This was achieved by stacking modules containing the en-suite bathrooms and cladding with an advanced render system to achieve the curved appearance. The rainscreen system was tied back to the modular structure to reflect the aesthetic of the main hospital. A full- height stair core at one end of the wing has curved opaque architectural glass and a faceted wall to reflect the design of the existing building. Creating seamless interfaces between the traditionally built existing hospital, a curved link, and the modular steel structure, was another engineering challenge.
From briefing to building envelope in 10 months This project is The McAvoy Group’s largest healthcare project to date. The £15 m contract encompassed the offsite manufacture of the structure for the 6,500 m2
three-storey wing. It also
included the fitting out of the first floor to accommodate one of the UK’s first purpose-designed ambulatory care units. The project was awarded to McAvoy as design and build contractor through the NHS Shared Business Services framework, which facilitated reductions in procurement time and cost. The building was craned into position as 294 steel- framed modules, in a highly complex operation completed just 10 months after the initial meeting with the Trust.
A new model of care
The ambulatory care unit is designed around an ‘onward care’ model. Patients are met, triaged through a consulting room, and directed to either an urgent care treatment pathway, or for observation, treatment, and discharge. The aim is for patients to be in the department for less than four hours. There are no inpatient stays in ambulatory care, but patients can be triaged and admitted to one of the main hospital wards. To address these clinical requirements, the unit comprises a series of rooms with different functions designed to reflect how patients flow through the unit, and maximise the efficiency of the patient pathway. The dedicated, 2,025 m2
facility for
ambulatory care provides medical, surgical, and gynaecology care in a relaxed and comfortable environment. It also accommodates a fracture clinic. This allows around 100-120 patients to be treated the same day across four specialisms, without the need for hospital admissions – seven days a week. and from 8 am to 10 pm. This is helping to de-
Some of the construction team on site. Key facts and the Project Team
n Client: Northumbria Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust. n Facility: Three-storey hospital wing and ambulatory care unit. n Location: Cramlington, Northumbria. n Value: £15 million. n Weeks on site: 52. n Building size: 6500 m2
.
n Design and build/offsite specialists: The McAvoy Group. n Cost consultants: Summers Inman. n Architects: P+HS Architects. n Consulting engineers: DSSR. n Civil and structural engineers: 3e. n M&E contractor: Dowds Group.
congest the emergency department, allowing patients to be seen by the most appropriate clinician earlier, and offering an enhanced service for the local community.
Facilities include waiting areas; interview, assessment, and treatment rooms; a plaster room with mobile x-ray; trolley bays; patient lounges; ultrasound; single en-suite rooms; a nurses’ station; staff rest room; clinical stores; utility rooms, and an open-plan office. Robert Sanderson, Deputy director of Capital Projects at the Trust, said, “This was a highly complex and ambitious scheme, which was delivered to a very tight timescale and to the Trust’s stringent quality standards. It has taken a real team effort to get to this stage in such a short time. The new facilities for ambulatory care will bring enormous benefits for providing alternative pathways for patients needing urgent care.”
The latest offsite technology McAvoy has pushed the boundaries of offsite construction with this project – a highly complex scheme on a live hospital
site. The design of the existing hospital has been integrated into the extension, and offsite construction has delivered the building to a very short programme. A hybrid solution was developed by McAvoy which incorporates both offsite and in-situ building methods. This approach enhanced quality and reduced disruption to staff and patients. The hybrid construction solution has a three- storey offsite structure with an in-situ built curved link on each floor, a rooftop plant room, and full-height stair towers.
Innovations in offsite construction The project features a number of innovations in offsite construction. It used larger, bespoke modules up to 14.85 m long, which were specially engineered to provide a structural flooring solution that seamlessly integrates the existing hospital building on each level. This met the key requirement for efficient patient flows. Mechanical ventilation, heating, and cooling systems were installed in the ceiling voids in the McAvoy factory – believed to be an industry first in the healthcare sector.
October 2019 Health Estate Journal 153
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