Bedfordshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust has chosen Kier to design and construct 16.700 sqm of clinical buildings at Luton & Dunstable University Hospital.
The £92.8m contract awarded to Kier is for two new buildings as part of of £168m.6m capital investment in maternity, neonatal and critical care services at the London & Dunstable Hospital. This is one of 20 projects that the government announced in August 2019 to receive £850m additional capital funding investment.
Kier’s contract, procured though the Crown Commercial Services (CCS) framework, includes the design and construction of a new acute services block and a new ward block which will house a delivery suite, a midwifery-led birthing unit, a neonatal intensive care unit with parent accommodation, and ambulatory surgical unit to support day case surgery, theatre suites and a critical care unit. A new five storey link building will connect the new acute services and ward block with the existing hospital.
These new buildings will be constructed in a live hospital environment in the middle of the existing hospital estate, with neighbouring clinical blocks continuing to function throughout the build programme. Demolition and enabling work has already been taking place during the last eight months to clear the hospital site in preparation for the building work.
The project will showcase sustainability and prefabrication say Kier. Low-carbon concrete will be used in the building frame and floor slabs, while a number of building components will be prefabricated off-site for better logistics. These will include internal staircases with balustrades, and M&E pipework support and washroom panels.
Electric-powered plant and machinery, including tower cranes and 360-degree site dumper trucks are to be used by Kier for this project.
Contractors are to move on site during the next month, with the project due for completion sometime in 2014.
Director of redevelopment and strategic planning at Bedforshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, Melanie Banks, said: “This has been many years in the planning and we are thrilled that work will begin imminently. These buildings will provide modern facilities, which will allow our teams to continue to deliver excellent care to the local community”.
Kier have recently completed a £98m programme at Heatherwood Hospital in Ascot and the new £28.5 imaging centre at Royal Brompton Hospital in Chelsea. It is also currently on site building a new £87m surgical centre at Musgrove Park Hospital for Somerset NHS Foundation Trust.