Allam Medical Building
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Location: Hull
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Sector: Health
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Division: Regional Building
The project involved the design and construction of a new ‘health hub’ to house the Hull York Medical School, Faculty of Health and Social Care and the Applied Health Research Institute, providing an essential social heart to establish and grow health research capability within a state-of-the art clinical skills facility.
The new building includes a range of multi-use meeting and teaching spaces, an innovative flexible learning space for 300 students, a learning suite and informal collaboration spaces, bringing the academic faculties together to foster interdisciplinary working and collaboration.
This unique building provides 7,000m2 of high-quality space, and brings together a number of departments under one roof to create a world class facility. The four storey in-situ concrete framed building is designed to attract and develop students and staff to shape the healthcare workforce of the future and address critical local healthcare challenges.
The building is rich in technology, sustainable and highly efficient to operate. It provides an innovative and practical environment to train the doctors, nurses, midwives and healthcare teams in clinical skills. It includes a midwifery led birthing unit, operating theatre and endoscopy set up including infection control and anaesthetic room. Also included: critical care, HDU, resuscitation, neonatal, paediatric bedroom, single bedrooms, four-bed ward, infection control room and community living suite.
There are state of the art working areas for researchers as well as a large lecture theatre, an atrium housing a café, fully equipped meeting rooms, a think pod and ‘green roofs’ with external terrace areas. The contract also included the sensitive redevelopment of the Loxley research building, including specialist embalming technologies.
At a glance...
£20.5m
Project value
2017
Completion date
University of Hull
Client
Challenges and solutions
Challenges
The project had a number of unique challenges including critical programme dates to ensure the new building was open for the new academic year in Hull’s City of Culture year, with a high-profile royal also booked to open the building.
- Multiple stakeholder management
- Delivering high quality exposed concrete finishes
- Working safely at height within a complex, busy and live university campus, home to almost 20,000 students and staff, with a local school located just 25m from the site
- Delivery within a fixed budget
- Co-ordination of a complex structure and palette of materials, including over 1,000 tonnes of steel, curves, a green roof and specialist concrete panels
- Maintaining existing research activities whilst removing asbestos
Solutions
- Partnering workshops from the outset to agree common and aligned objectives from all stakeholders. Including capturing student opinions which was integral to the final design, from trainee medics to social workers
- Early contractor involvement and additional surveys, to drive value and work smarter. This included back-to-back agreements with key suppliers including Techcrete, Moortown and SpeedClad. Their expertise helped improve buildability, whole life costs and provide certainty of delivery
- Through optioneering and innovation we provided over £1.5m of savings to make the scheme affordable, without affecting functionality or aesthetics of the building. Including the rationalisation of the roof canopy and alternative cladding and lighting systems
- A Level 2 BIM model, 4D programming and Common Data Environment provided transparency and efficient exchange of information. Stakeholders were able to see and understand how the spaces would be used, ensuring their vision was captured and that abortive works were avoided
- Detailed site logistic plans, a stakeholder engagement plan, regular communications and an on-site liaison manager supported zero disruption on campus or to neighbours
- A biometric security system, controlled access and prevented any unauthorised access to the site
- Our soft landings approach, dedicated commissioning manager and digital defect management software, supported a seamless handover
Added value
The project delivered a number of additional benefits for the client and key stakeholders.
- Achieving an £8.2m SROI, by placing 62% of subcontracts locally, providing 32 student visits and workshops, supporting 12 apprentices, creating 8 new sustainable jobs and safeguarding over 300 local jobs
- The use of MMC including precast concrete solutions with preinstalled windows, providing a 4-week programme saving
- The use of ‘Silt Buster’ technology; enabled the team to dispose of wash-out water from 398 wagon loads of concrete safely and compliantly, by using CO2 gas to neutralises the pH level
- A back-to-back partnership with our proven substructure supplier, ensured high quality finishes for soffits and columns to ensure BS 8500 compliance
- Positive staff and student post occupancy evaluations
- Beyond compliance Considerate Constructors scheme score
- An Open Doors event was held on site to showcase the built environment to support recruitment and address industry shortages
- Use of A+ rated products and recycling schemes supported carbon reduction
Awards
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CIOB BIM Initiative of the Year Award
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Guardian University Awards – Buildings that inspire – Winner
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Constructing Excellence in Yorkshire & Humber Awards – Highly Commended, Building Project of the Year
Our partners
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Structural Engineer: Alan Wood & Partners
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M&E Engineer: CPW
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Architect: BDP Architects
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Project Manager: Faithful & Gould