20 August 2010
Building Excellence Award for UK’s Largest Complete Hospital to be Built Off Site
Award-winning off-site construction specialist, Yorkon, has won an LABC Building Excellence Award for the Emersons Green NHS Treatment Centre in Bristol.
The project for independent healthcare providers UK Specialist Hospitals (UKSH) is believed to be the largest complete hospital to be built off site.
The team responsible for the centre's design and construction won the LABC Building Excellence Award for the Best Community Building in the West of England.
The LABC Awards recognise and reward the best quality design, construction, and project management. The finalists are acknowledged to be among the very best projects in the region.
Commenting on the award, Jane Cameron, Building Control Officer at South Gloucestershire Council, said, "This is an excellent healthcare building that successfully demonstrates an innovative approach to construction. The use of off-site construction shortened the build time, improved site efficiency, and reduced site waste and traffic. The Yorkon site was very well managed throughout, with excellent workmanship, outstanding communications, and a positive commitment to the health and safety of everyone working on the project."
"The building was completed to the very highest standards and finish, and as well as being aesthetically pleasing, it is welcoming and user friendly."
David Johnson, Director and General Manager of Yorkon, said, "We are absolutely delighted with this award, and the recognition it gives to the design and construction team, the client, and to the success of the off-site approach." "To complete a project of this scale and complexity, that was open and treating patients just 12 months after start on site, was a significant achievement for the whole team."
"Delivery on time was critical for the client, and was achieved despite working in severe winter weather conditions, which would have had a major impact on traditional site-based construction methods."
Designed by architects TP Bennett, Emersons Green is a new purpose-built surgical hospital which provides a range of elective surgical services, including inpatient treatment to NHS patients. The three-storey 4,842sqm building was manufactured off site in York and comprises 114 steel-framed modules, which Yorkon craned into position in just three weeks to reduce disruption, and the build time to only eight months.
The project's achievements included:
- Completion on time and on budget
- An innovative approach to construction that minimised on-site working and reduced the programme time
- No reportable incidents or accidents on the site for the duration of the project, more than 120,000 man hours
- Waste reported monthly on site, and an average recycling rate of 92 per cent achieved, diverting waste materials such as timber and plasterboard from landfill.
- Outstanding site management recognised by a Considerate Constructors 'Performance Beyond Compliance' commendation
- The first application in the healthcare sector of the new Yorkon high performance pre-installed concrete floor system
- A sustainable approach to design and construction.
The treatment centre has a number of sustainable features including services monitoring, water conservation devices, a high level of natural light, solar reflective glass, leak detection system for the kitchen, cycle storage, and a green roof to the adjacent service building.
Externally it is clad in horizontal cedar with areas of terracotta, render and aluminium rainscreen cladding to contrast with the white steel modules and the glazed atrium.
Facilities in the new treatment centre include four operating theatres with recovery bays, central sterilisation unit, minor operations room, endoscopy suite, diagnostics and x-ray, 33 inpatient beds, procedure and consulting rooms, waiting area, reception, café, pharmacy, physiotherapy and administration centre.
The Emersons Green contract follows Yorkon's successful completion in 2005 of its first project for UKSH - the Shepton Mallet NHS Treatment Centre. That scheme also delivered on time and on budget, manufactured and fitted out in just 10 months, and is now regarded as one of the UK's top performing independent sector treatment centres.
Images © Hufton + Crow
