British Gypsum, one of the UK’s leading plaster and plasterboard manufacturers, has been heavily involved in the extensive refurbishment and expansion of Southampton General Hospital.
The company’s GypWall ROBUST system, incorporating Gyproc DuraLine, was specified for use in the facility’s new Cardiac Unit, and in the Developmental Origins of Health and Disease (DOHaD) units at the hospital. DuraLine was chosen for its impact resistance and durability. British Gypsum said “The lightweight partition system satisfies BS 5234 requirements to Severe Duty in a single board solution, enabling costs to be minimised without compromising quality and performance.”
Installation was undertaken by sub-contractor A.T. Jones and Son. Regular site visits were made by Southampton University Hospital Trust (SUHT) personnel to ensure that the products were installed correctly. In addition, British Gypsum products have been specified for several other hospital departments, including new haematology, oncology, and biomedical research units, as part of a Southampton University Hospital Trust ongoing renovation and extension programme.
Kevin Smith, project specification manager at British Gypsum, explains: “Within these types of environments accuracy of construction is essential because of the sterile environment needed for the type of clinical procedures carried out. The biomedical research and DOHaD units must be free from any potential contamination risk.”
Further construction work is set to take place at the hospital as funding is released from the Government, and British Gypsum says it expects to continue to be involved.
British Gypsum’s WHITE BOOK Health sector guide, which recently received continuous professional development (CPD) accreditation from the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA), is available both online and in print, and can be accessed at: www.british-gypsum.com/health . The online version is regularly updated to reflect changes in guidance and systems.
