The use of Modern Methods of Construction principles by NHS construction specialist, MTX, is driving progress on the new £64 m Elective Orthopaedic Centre at Colchester Hospital.
More than 70 factory-manufactured build units have now been installed on site, with internal works underway, and a further 80 steel-framed units are set to be craned into place, with the delivery of the units and crane lifts onto foundations prepared by MTX timed to minimise impacting ambulances movements.
The Elective Orthopaedic Centre is being built in five phases using a total of 289 factory-built steel-framed units. MTX says the design maximises the advantages of Modern Methods of Construction (MMC) and Design for Manufacture & Assembly (DfMA) principles, enabling completion ‘faster, safer, greener, and more cost-effectively’. The three-storey, 8,283 m2 building is the largest MMC development of its kind in the UK, and will create one of the largest Elective Orthopaedic Centres in Europe. It will house eight new orthopaedic operating theatres, with up to 71 beds, a reception area, and ancillary facilities.
MTX said: “MMC can reduce time on site by up to 50%, with steel-framed building components manufactured off site under factory conditions, while simultaneously sub-structures are prepared on site and other work continues, shortening the overall programme. MMC can also reduce waste by up to 60%, while ensuring exceptional quality.”
Once the steel-framed components are in place, and walls and concrete floors are installed, MTX begins fitting out of mechanical, electrical, and plumbing elements, and, finally, furniture, fittings, and equipment.
MTX MD, David Hartley, explained: “This project is a milestone for MMC as the biggest project of its kind in the UK, and we are immensely proud to be at the forefront of construction technology in creating the new Elective Orthopaedic Centre at Colchester Hospital.”
The Centre is being built on the site of the Mary Barron building, Cardiac Catheterisation Unit, and an administrative block, which have all been demolished by MTX, along with part removal of the Elmstead Day Unit.
East Suffolk and North Essex NHS Foundation Trust (ESNEFT), which runs the hospital, was awarded government funding to create the specialist centre for planned (elective) orthopaedic surgery, which supports NHS requirements for cost-effective and energy-efficient solutions to clear its treatment backlog. The new facility is expected to handle up to 10,500 patient cases annually, including almost 4000 day cases, and is due to start treating patients next year
MTX Contracts Ltd
Innovation House
Brooke Court
Lower Meadow Road
Wilmslow
Cheshire
SK9 3ND
T: 0800 138 3541
E: info@mtx.co.uk
www.mtxcontracts.co.uk
