More than 50 offsite-manufactured structural steel modules will be used to construct the new ward on a steel deck installed on existing concrete stub columns that were part of the original A&E Department build. MTX says the challenging location, in the midst of the hospital site, requires the use of the UK’s largest crane to lift the modules into place; it is currently constructing additional site infrastructure, including high strength concrete foundations and piling, to support the crane.
MTX prides itself on the ability to deliver contracts with minimum disruption to medical services. At Northwick Park this means maintaining safe pedestrian and ambulance access to the A&E Department throughout the build. It also prioritises staff and contractor safety – which here entails building a pedestrian bridge over a busy road on site to enable access to the build location.
The new unit will incorporate 32 short-stay beds and ancillary areas, and will be finished to a high build standard. The programme includes designing and installing mechanical modules pre-manufactured off site to control the ventilation and the environment of the wards, with a dedicated integrated plant facility provided within the new building as part of the M&E specification.
The new first floor construction will link to the existing hospital buildings via a 20 metre-long suspended connecting corridor, as well as to two existing stairwells to provide staff and visitor access.
Northwick Park Hospital, on the outskirts of Harrow, is managed by the London North West University Healthcare NHS Trust. The new short-stay ward is part of an NHS England initiative to meet the growing demand for general and acute beds countrywide.
MTX has partnered with the NHS for over 40 years, ‘providing vital specialist facilities and ward accommodation for hospitals’, and during that time has created over 300 operating theatres and 2,500 compliant bed spaces.