Lewisham Hospital

Terrapin, the off site construction specialist, has secured a major new contract in the healthcare sector to create a new outpatient suite, as part of a major hospital extension at Lewisham Hospital in South London, on behalf of Kier London. Terrapin’s versatile method of off site construction meets the needs of the health sector in many ways and not least due to the excellent lifetime values of buildings. Research has shown that the return on investment of an off site constructed building has proven to be significantly greater than that of a traditional build, making it an attractive option for hospitals, schools and commercial buildings. Lewisham hospital has very restricted site access, which means off site construction offered the best possible solution to ensure that the building can be installed within the shortest time possible and with the minimum amount of deliveries and disruption to patients and staff.

The building has been designed to achieve BREEAM Very Good, which means it must meet high performance requirements for air tightness and energy efficiency. The architect provided an A-rated specification, which is testament to the quality of Terrapin’s off site systems.

The flexibility of the Unitrex system means that environmental features can be included within its design. This includes a sustainable Sedum roof, which will provide the opportunity for grass and plants to flourish and reduce the building’s carbon footprint, therefore contributing to its BREEAM rating.

The three-storey building was specified to a non-standard width, demonstrating the flexibility of Terrapin’s Unitrex system. The structure is built with a mix of timber and steel, using Unitrex Wall Panels throughout and features a circulation tower, which links the new and the existing building. This tower boasts an innovative design, including concrete floors and roofs, which means hospital staff and patients can easily move between the existing and new building, as access is provided at all three levels. There needed to be no reverberation between the floors, adjacent to the corridors, so Terrapin designed an innovative solution involving reinforced 8kn floors to reduce any sound or vibration.

Terrapin will apply its specialist design services for the internals of the building too. This includes developing a sophisticated integrated plumbing system (IPS), which will be designed with a frame assembly to avoid the need for site studding. This speeds up installation on site and again delivers the many benefits of off site construction.

Terrapin proved itself to be one of very few off site companies that could provide a complete turnkey service, including concept and design, manufacturing, siteworks, through to landscaping and final handover. Terrapin’s Managing Director explains: “This project is testament to the versatility of our system. There are a number of stringent criteria that this project needed to meet – for aesthetics, performance and environmental factors and the flexibility of our bespoke service means that we can achieve this perfectly.”