MODULAR BUILDING PROVES PERFECT SOLUTION FOR KINGSTON HOSPITAL

Modular construction pioneer Wernick Buildings recently completed a new healthcare clinic located in Greater London.

Due to the closure of a previous threestorey building on site, Kingston Hospital NHS Foundation Trust was looking for a new purpose-built unit to house its growing outpatient services for gynaecology, audiology and ear, nose and throat.

After a discussion with the Wernick Buildings team, it was decided that two separate modular healthcare buildings on site would offer the most timely and cost-effective solution to accommodate all three hospital departments.

The first building delivered by Wernick was the Gynaecology Outpatient Clinic (Willow Building).

Through a competitive tender process, Wernick Buildings presented a full turnkey solution, which included a complete groundworks package and service connection.

Designed for outpatient use, the two-storey BREEAM-rated block offers several HTN/HBN-compliant amenities, including consultation areas, procedure and recovery rooms, staff offices, changing facilities and accessible toilets. The reception and waiting area feature an open floorplan, which creates a spacious welcome area for the clinic’s patients.

The building comprises 30 modules and showcases sleek cladding, PV panels and a state-of-the-art plant room on the second storey.

Wernick worked closely with ADP Architecture during the design process. Clinic nurses, doctors and other staff were also consulted in the planning process, assuring their specific needs and requests were met.

Clinical Director, Meena Shankar, remarked on the speed and usefulness of the new clinic. “The building was ready to use very quickly and is very modern and comfortable,” she explained. “We were excited about being involved with the design team from the beginning to get exactly what we wanted.”

The clinic features a modern interior with a cool green colour palette. Its interior was designed to help provide a calming environment for patients who may be undergoing difficult procedures. The layout boasts a convenient one-way traffic system and a patient-sensitive discrete exit.

Wernick was also able to provide two temporary modular office buildings to house other displaced departments that were relocated from the hospital’s Roehampton Wing.

The building modules were constructed off site, which allowed for minimal disruption and noise pollution to the surrounding area.

Crews overcame several challenges when transporting and installing the modules into place on the property. The building site was landlocked by three roads and located at the front of the hospital entrance near to the emergency department. Crane operatives had to take special care to manoeuvre the modules in a dense area surrounded by other buildings. A second clinic (Aspen Building), housing the audiology and ear, nose and throat departments, is due to be completed imminently.

Wernick Buildings has decades of experience in delivering modular solutions in the healthcare sector and is highly skilled at working around live clinical building settings. Design, manufacture and site teams are located in house, providing customers with a single point of contact for peace of mind throughout the project. Wernick’s flexible modular systems provide cost efficiency, shorter and more reliable programmes, and improved quality and sustainability.

Offsite construction methods are attractive to NHS Trusts as they can dramatically reduce build programmes. Facilities can be operational in a matter of months, compared to years for many traditional build projects. They also reduce onsite disruption and associated health and safety risks.

The Wernick building system is designed to deliver compliant hospital wards and clinical spaces via standardisation with compliancy requirements being applied to building systems. This streamlines the construction process by incorporating pre-approved designs.

Aside from integrating standard NHS specifications, modular construction can offer clients the option to create bespoke building designs tailored to their specific requirements.

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