As patient-led demand grows, healthcare environments are continually looking to adapt and expand their facilities quickly and cost-effectively. The healthcare sector doesn’t have the time or resources to commission lengthy construction programmes and, reflective of this, the NHS new construction framework has been created solely for the supply of modular buildings.
Matthew Goff, director of UK operations at Actavo | Building Solutions – one of the modular building specialists appointed to the NHS new construction framework – explains why the capabilities of offsite construction weigh in favour of healthcare facilitators across the UK.
From initial works to completion, it takes up to 67% less energy to produce a modular building , compared with a traditionally-built project. Whilst initial, onsite ground works are being completed, modules – which make up a modular building – are manufactured offsite, in a controlled, factory environment.
Pre-fitted with electrics, plumbing, heating, doors, windows and internal finishes before they are taken to site, modular buildings are now also installed with energy-efficient systems such as PIR sensors, enhanced ‘U’ values and solar panels. Not only is the offsite manufacture greener, buildings are also designed to be energy-efficient for their entire life cycle.
When you build offsite, you plan and construct with meticulous precision. It takes strategic thinking and rigorous co-ordination, but modular construction allows for minimal disruption to staff and patients which is particularly key in the acute care environment. Offsite construction also allows for a 90% reduction of the total number of deliveries to site as well as reducing up to 90% of waste generated as the structure is recyclable.
NHS bed availability is at an all-time low, but offsite building techniques are the NHS’s construction dream. Modular buildings can be delivered up to 50% quicker than traditional methods, which affords healthcare establishments a degree of certainty in meeting their needs quickly and efficiently.
Although initial costs are comparable with traditional construction, the whole-life efficiencies weigh in favour of offsite. Easily adaptable to any future, changing industry needs and standards, 21st century medical modular buildings are built to stand the test of time.
Modular buildings can be designed and built to meet the same medical standards as traditional construction including Health Technical Memoranda (HTM) and Health Building Notes (HBN).
In a medical environment, a construction team must remain vigilant in following strict infection control protocols. By using controlled, modular methods of construction, particular attention can be afforded to reducing the spread of dust, especially where immune-deficient patients are being treated.
The NHS has announced a new, £750m, four-year construction framework. Promoting faster, cheaper and greener building solutions, the new framework has been awarded entirely to specialist, modular construction contractors.
