Heartlands Treatment Centre, University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust

Constructing Excellence

The new Heartlands Treatment Centre (HTC)project was ten years in themaking. Delivered for University Hospital Birmingham (UHB)NHS Trust, the £62m project was the first large-scale capital investment at Heartlands Hospital since 2008, designed to boost UHB’s capacity to meet the growing and changing healthcare requirements serving a diverse population across Birmingham.

Given unprecedented market volatility, early engagement with the supply chain was fundamental to the project’s success. We engaged with the supply chain to review where materials were sourced and sourced suitable alternatives where capacity or budgetary requirements necessitated.

To overcome supply issues brought on by Brexit and COVID, we accelerated the design process, material selection, and procurement, which required client buy-in and full participation from the outset. We also took large-scale deliveries, such as cladding, early in the process to guarantee supply and protect the programme. This meant adapting our logistics strategy to accommodate and protect these additional materials within our already limited on-site storage space.

Despite budget constraints, sustainability was never compromised, and the building was constructed to the highest environmental standards, achieving a BREEAM Excellent rating. Carbon reduction measures run throughout, including rooftop PV panels, district heating and energy saving lighting. During construction, we utilised MMC for M&E installations with modular wiring, corridor and riser modules and used packaged air handling units and plant skids to reduce carbon footprint.

Three Winning Facts:
  1. On time, on budget and defect-free delivery of a major new hospital facility constructed during the COVID pandemic with no disruption to healthcare, blue light services, patients or the general running of the live adjacent hospital during the Covid crisis.
  2. The Heartlands Treatment Centre will help improve capacity as it offers a ‘one-stop-shop’ for patients as a result of bringing a range of services under one roof, meaning more treatments, for more patients, delivered more efficiently. Seeing up to 1,500 patients per day.
  3. Collaborative approach between the UHB Trust, Kier and the design team to overcome complex challenges and deliver this impressive treatment centre fulfilling UHB’s vision for a fully functioning clinical space benefiting from cutting-edge technology and services.