03 June 2013
UK’s Biggest Healthcare Project to be Built Off Site is Craned into Position
Off-site construction specialist, Yorkon, part of the Portakabin Group, has installed the UK's largest and most complex modular building project to be built in the health sector. The £17.9m contract for principal contractor Kier Construction is for a new Women and Children's Centre at North Middlesex University Hospital.
Due to be handed over later this year, the project which was procured under the ProCure21+ framework, was manufactured off site at the Yorkon production centre in York.
152 steel-framed modules up to 18m long and weighing up to 18.5 tonnes were craned into position in just 28 days. A 500 tonne crane was used for this operation which took place within the hospital grounds and in close proximity to existing facilities that remained in use throughout. The units were installed partially completed with window frames, first fix electrics, HVAC ducting, plumbing, and a high performance concrete floor.
The off-site approach has radically reduced disruption to patient care and the build programme to ensure the new facilities will be operational in line with the Trust's clinical strategy and prior to seasonal winter pressures.
The centre will accommodate the increase in maternity patients and around 2,000 additional births in North Middlesex. It forms part of a major reorganisation of hospital services in the boroughs of Barnet, Enfield and Haringey. The architects and project managers are AHP Architects & Surveyors.
Kevin Howell, Director of Environment and Joint Project Director for the Barnet & Chase Farm and North Middlesex Hospitals, said, "Given the extremely challenging timescales for this project, we needed to look at more innovative methods of procurement and construction. Off-site construction is giving us greater certainty and a substantial reduction in risk."
"The project is on time, the partnership between the users, Kier and Yorkon is working well, and in particular the flexibility shown by Yorkon in the face of changing healthcare requirements."
Clive Watson, Project Manager at Kier Construction, said, "Delivery and installation of the modules progressed seamlessly and I am pleased to report that all the units arrived on time. The project is a credit to the Kier and Yorkon teams for achieving this key milestone in the construction programme."
Simon Ambler, Director at Yorkon said, "This is our third project with Kier and I am pleased to report that the cranage programme went well and all the modules are now installed for the final stages of fitting out. This is our largest ever contract and its complexities demonstrate just what is now achievable with an advanced off-site building system in a short timescale and on an extremely busy hospital site."
The scheme will provide a consultant-led delivery unit with additional high dependency beds, two new obstetrics theatres, a neonatal unit, triage centre, women's outpatient department, and a midwife-led birthing unit with four birthing pool rooms. A roof top plant room is located on the second floor.
The external appearance of the new building will reflect the design of the adjacent facilities and will feature rendered façades, ribbon glazing around the perimeter of the first floor, a large atrium entrance spanning two storeys with light wells providing further natural daylight inside. There is also full height glazing to the stair towers on each of the two wings and large projecting window bays provide a visual contrast to the rendered finish across the building envelope.
The scheme is targeted to achieve a BREEAM 'excellent' rating and has a number of sustainability features including a biodiverse green roof with a variety of meadow flowers to part of the first floor, photovoltaic panels above the plant room, and an energy-efficient combined heat and power system.
Yorkon has an extensive track record in the healthcare sector, having completed a wide variety of bespoke off-site building projects including ward extensions, self-contained theatre blocks, emergency care units, haemodialysis centres, offices, community clinics, and complete hospitals, delivering all the advantages of off-site construction.
Yorkon is part of the Portakabin Group.
For further information about Yorkon off-site building solutions for hospitals and clinics, call 0845 2000 123, email info@yorkon.com or visit www.yorkon.info.
