Princess Alexandra Hospital

This £12 million development was for a new Diagnostic and Treatment Unit at the Princess Alexandra Hospital, Harlow. The requirement was to design and build this extension from concept to completion within a tight schedule of 16 months. It was a difficult site containing the main hospital entrance, an underground steam pipe providing all the hospital’s heating and two important tree specimens. Design commenced in March 2003 and the completed building was handed over ahead of schedule in July 2004. The result is a first rate integration of a new building with the existing hospital.

Fast track construction utilised the following: precast concrete retaining walls and covers for the large underground ducts taking the diverted steam mains; steel frame with composite floors; the use of non-composite beams (saving three weeks on site stud welding); prefabricated operating theatre modules; plant room and toilet/shower pods and secondary framing using cold framed sections.