11th Jul 2006 – Foremans delivers new hospital project 2 weeks early

Foremans delivers new hospital project 2 weeks early

Foremans Relocatable Building Systems, the UK’s largest supplier of pre-owned modular buildings, has completed construction of a new building two weeks ahead of schedule, for the Hospital of St John & St Elizabeth in London – the third largest independent hospital in the UK.

The building has been created to house specialist medical services during an £11m development project to extend the hospital’s outpatient facilities, create an NHS primary care centre and provide much needed extra space for the on-site St John’s hospice which provides free care to people suffering from long-term illnesses. The re-development is due for completion in September 2007 and is project managed by Hunter and Partners.

The two-storey scheme built by Foremans accommodates fully air conditioned offices, consulting rooms, a medical examination room and a pressure chamber for treating patients with complex tissue disorders, carbon monoxide poisoning and diving injuries – one of only two in the London area.

Three of the steel-framed building modules were reconfigured to incorporate a concrete floor to support the weight of the 5 tonne hyperbaric chamber and the end wall was designed to be demountable to allow for its installation. The chamber was successfully relocated to the new building with a planned downtime of only 24 hours to minimise disruption to patient care.

Commenting on the scheme, Claire Hornick, Director of Operations at the Hospital of St John & St Elizabeth, said, "We are delighted with the new building and with Foremans’ seamless and professional delivery. They have provided us with a high quality, purpose-designed facility, which exactly meets our needs and budget. And they delivered it with minimal disruption two weeks ahead of our original programme."

The facility comprises 36 modules, which were fitted out off-site at Foremans’ production centre in East Yorkshire. The cranage programme was carefully planned to meet the restrictions associated with a central London site.

Foremans’ approach gives health service providers all the advantages of modular building – faster programme times, improved quality and less disruption to staff and patients during construction – with the additional benefit of value for money because the building is made from refurbished pre-owned modules. Accommodation can be supplied in single and multi-storey configurations, and fitted out for a wide variety of permanent and temporary uses, including wards, theatres, offices and laboratories.

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