The two-storey, reinforced concrete (RC) frame facility expands King’s College Hospital NHS Foundation Trust’s specialist diagnostic capacity. Perega provided structural and civil engineering services, working with architect Gilling Dod and contractor Kier.
The project team managed specific technical requirements to accommodate the heavy clinical equipment. Key technical considerations included the design of the first-floor slab to support heavy plant including a large water tank and the integration of surgical pendant arms suspended from the 1st floor soffit. Perega also designed the floor plates to meet vibration sensitivity requirements, essential for maintaining stability during delicate surgical procedures.
A notable engineering challenge involved the discovery of a large operational existing tank located beneath the building’s footprint that needed to be retained. Due to the structural capacity of the underground feature being limited, Perega designed a 13m long suspended transfer structure at ground-floor level to bridge the area and support a significant portion of the building’s weight above it. This solution used large-scale concrete beams measuring 1.4m deep and 2m wide to safely support the new facility without impacting the subterranean infrastructure.
Finn Neylon, associate at Perega, said: “Healthcare projects of this scale always bring unique challenges, and the PRUH endoscopy unit was no exception. By resolving complex site constraints early on, such as bridging the existing underground tank, addressing site level differences with various retaining wall designs and coordinating pile positions around numerous buried existing services, we’ve delivered a robust facility that is fit for the future. It was a great opportunity to apply our specialist knowledge of clinical environments to ensure a smooth, successful delivery for the Trust.”