Intelligent solutions for a bespoke facility
Newmarket Hospital
Community Diagnostic Centre
How a flexible approach to construction delivered the best outcomes for a unique health project in Newmarket
Newmarket Community Hospital's brand new Community Diagnostic Centre (CDC) will transform access to diagnostic testing, providing patients faster access to a wide range of tests.
Procured through the ProCure23 Framework, Morgan Sindall Construction are delivering the new £7.8 million CDC for West Suffolk NHS Foundation Trust.
The bespoke facility will include MRI, CT, X-ray, ultrasound, lung function and cardiology diagnostics, as well as recovery bays, offices, staff changing areas and utility rooms.
The team broke ground in January 2024, with the project on track to finish before the end of the year.
This represents a big step forward in delivering a new CDC for our communities in Newmarket and the surrounding areas and builds on our commitment to further develop services at the Newmarket Community Hospital. This facility will greatly expand our diagnostic capacity, meaning we will provide the right care, at the right time, and in the right place, even more quickly, which will ultimately and most importantly, improve outcomes for our patients.”
The team
Client West Suffolk NHS Foundation Trust
Framework ProCure23
Contractor Morgan Sindall Construction
Architect KLH
PM Castons
Engineers JSH / SWECO
Picking the best solution for the customer that takes into account every aspiration, was a key part of the design stage.
For this scheme, time, cost, design and carbon elements featured heavily in their ambitions.
With speed of construction being one of the most vital elements, a modular solution was initially investigated.
However, the bespoke nature of the rooms within the centre and the subsequent need for ongoing flexibility during the early stages of the project, meant another option was needed.
One limitation around modular was on deflection values. Whilst modular is suitable for some of the spaces, the MRI and CT rooms require a very solid floor build up to ensure no movement of the equipment during scans. This makes the difference between a usable image/model or not.
Flexibility of the design was vital in meeting the bespoke needs of this facility
Whilst modular was an early option, the bespoke nature of the facility meant more flexibility was needed.
In addition, past examples showed that linking to modular unit to traditional elements can risk differential movement - something that can create defects down the line, whilst also compromising on the imaging performance inside the building.
Another limitation included how the modular units would be delivered - meaning the design would have been constrained by the size of lorry that could deliver the modules.
The vehicles which would transport the modules are essentially the cookie cutter for what they are constrained to. This would have meant compromises in the design.
The final elements that influenced the design journey, opting for a ‘traditional’ approach over modular, came down to space, technical standards and future flexibility of the facility.
Faraday
cage
for MRI
Meeting space targets and HTM standards
One of the limitations the Trust requested was achieving the space needs within the facility, but within a maximum area of 1000sqm.
Exceeding this would impose additional planning and BREEAM restrictions that would be both timely and costly.
The benefit of working with the traditional design meant that each space could be designed to the exact HTM/HBM space requirements, enabling the team to bring the design in at 990sqm, whilst achieving every space needed.
The changing landscape of the NHS also demands design intent that considers the whole life aspect of a space.
Space standards change over time and, whilst we expect technology to reduce the size of medical instruments, spaces are generally getting larger.
As NHS targets change, the way in which the Newmarket CDC is designed will enable flexibility for retrofit and remodelling, without the risk of rigidity that a modular grid system will restrict them to.
These critical elements meant that modular was eliminated from the options, but crucially, a method emerged that would be cost and time neutral for the Trust, whilst achieving the flexibility, quality and carbon targets they needed…
Using our Intelligent Solutions approach, the team worked collaboratively with the procurement, client and consultant teams to look at the options that would meet cost, time and carbon targets.
Whilst an entirely modular approach wasn't the right solution for this scheme, it was in using elements of pre-manufactured systems, blended with traditional methods, that has allowed the team to meet the unique needs of this facility.
The Structural Framing System (SFS) provided a rapid envelope solution that took traditional brickwork off the critical path making the building water tight five weeks earlier.
The large ventilation and air source heat pump units were built off site, craned into their roof position and connected in a single day, whilst the steel frame was sprayed with intumescent paint offsite in a factory to avoid the risk of adverse weather during frame erection - potentially saving months on the programme.
Learn more about our Intelligent Solutions approach
Due to the hybrid approach to construction, the PMV (pre manufactured value) of the CDC is 71% which has helped deliver a cost and time neutral position compared to modular.
Handing over on time and in budget are a given - so making sure this comes with a great quality finish is crucial.
The team are working with an independent clerk of works, creating benchmark samples ahead of installation and implementing digital techniques on site with technology such as Oculo - which uses a 360o camera - allowing the team to carry out daily inspections for reviews that are backed up to the cloud.
Oculo is a great 360 technology that enables us to conduct, analyse and store quality checks and records as the project progresses.
Our intelligent carbon reduction tool, CarboniCa, measures while life carbon emissions at a buildings design, construction and entire lifecycle stages.
The tool, externally validated by ARUP to the RICS professional standard, is being used at Newmarket CDC to help reduce carbon. This has helped make design choices on renewable technology such as featuring air source heat pumps to provide an efficient source of heating and hot water.
The building’s temperature will also be regulated through constant air volume (CAV) heating and cooling and heat recovery units to ensure consistent and efficient temperature control.
123 photovoltaic (PV) panels – also known as solar panels – will be installed as part of the scheme.
Along with other features, this will generate at least 46% of CDC’s energy, 36% above the original target, showcasing the Trust’s commitment to building for the future in a sustainable way.
Using CarboniCa as part of our 10 tonne challenge initiative, the team has also saved 237.9tCO2e (tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent).
This was achieved by incorporating GGBS into the concrete mixes for the foundations, slabs and walls; reducing the foundation depth from 1800mm to 800 by the installation of vibro stone columns and; sourcing 68% of the steel frame from electric arc furnace sources.
Creating value, beyond the build, is as important as delivering the facility itself.
Especially on a live hospital site, where the scheme is sandwiched between the hospital and a residential estate, with just metres to spare.
Monthly contractor meetings are supplemented with bi-weekly meetings with the hospital.
With no storage area and only a small set-down zone, the team has deployed a just-in-time delivery system that relies heavily on close collaboration with the supply chain.
Key milestones have also been celebrated together, local supply chain has been engaged and in addition to work experience placements and apprenticeship starts, the project social value plan has included a number of initiatives to create lasting impact on the surrounding community, helping to contribute to an industry leading 45/45 Considerate Constructors Scheme (CCS) score on both audits.
Despite the challenging weather conditions in the earlier part of this year, all the teams involved have worked incredibly hard to make sure we remain on track to deliver this project as planned, and it’s incredibly exciting to get to this point.
The team donated over 60 volunteer hours and all the materials to build a much needed shelter for the local pre-school
This is a fantastic shelter and we can't thank you enough for this. It's something that we would of never been able to do, and honestly this is going to be loved for years to come by all the children.
A hybrid construction approach meeting time and cost
A blended approach to construction enabled the team to use a traditional/modern method in lieu of modular only. This provided a cost and time neutral position, but delivered a design that could work with the bespoke needs of the CT and MRI units where traditional methods would be needed.
Flexible design achieving space and HTM standards
The removal of any rigidity in the design meant the team created an optimised design under the 1,000sqm target, whilst ensuring every space was designed specifically to meet HBN/HTM space requirements. This option also allows for the changing landscape of the NHS with the building being ready for future remodelling.
Helping the Trust meet their Net Zero Carbon targets
By using CarboniCa, our team has been able to save 237.9tCO2e of carbon by using alternative products and materials such as electric arc furnace steel and GGBS in the concrete mix. The facility will also have solar panels that will generate 46% of its energy, whilst other technologies such as air source heat pumps will be installed.
Maintaining quality at speed using tech and offsite
By using elements of pre-manufactured components, such as SFS, factory-based intumescent paint spraying and modular plant units, the team are maintaining quality at speed. Deployment of digital technology such as Oculo also helps with check and review processes for the team.
Caring for the community way beyond the build
Regular meetings with the hospital, just-in-time deliveries and noise dampening hoarding have all helped to ensure minimal impact on the live hospital. Social value initiatives such as a volunteer project to create a shelter at the local pre-school helped the team achieve a 45/45 CCS score.