A groundbreaking ceremony at Wycombe Hospital has marked the start of work by MTX Contracts Ltd to create a landmark six-storey building that will deliver a range of vital services for Buckinghamshire Healthcare NHS Trust.
Among those attending the event were Buckinghamshire Healthcare NHS Trust Chair David Highton, Lord Lieutenant of Buckinghamshire Countess Howe, Buckinghamshire Council Chairman Cllr Sarfaraz Khan Raja, Council Leader Steven Broadbent, High Wycombe Mayor Cllr Majid Hussain, and local MPs Emma Reynolds and Greg Smith.
Planning permission for the new development was granted in December, subject to a small number of pre-commencement conditions, and MTX took possession of the Phase 5 site in early January allowing mobilisation and pre-commencement activities to begin.
Key civil works will formally start in May to prepare the site for the new building, which will be created using 298 precisely engineered structural steel modules factory-manufactured off site – just one element of the Modern Methods of Construction (MMC) used to create the new building.
A key milestone will be the erection of a tower crane to deliver materials to the site. The structural steel modules will be craned into position to erect the building structure before the end of the year, and within weeks the weatherproof structure will enable internal fitout and pouring of concrete floors.
The ability to manufacture the structure before groundworks are complete is one of the factors that will enable MTX Contracts to deliver the new high quality, fully compliant new facility in a shorter contract timescale and more cost-effectively than using traditional building techniques.
The 15,000m² six-storey building is being designed by MTX in partnership with the Trust to enable core services to move out of the current Wycombe Tower Block, which is unfit for long-term use.
The new state-of-the-art facility will deliver a range of vital services including cardiology, stroke-care, operating theatres and critical care in future phases of the project once further funding has been secured. The first new clinical facility – an Endoscopy Department – is planned to open in 2027.
Raghuv Bhasin, interim CEO at Buckinghamshire Healthcare NHS Trust, said: “The Wycombe Hospital site has been in dire need of redevelopment for many years. This new building will move critical services out of the ageing tower block and into a purpose-built environment, giving Buckinghamshire residents state-of-the-art facilities in which to receive crucial, life-changing care.”
MTX Managing Director David Hartley said: “The hybrid Modern Methods of Construction approach developed by MTX is designed to give health Trusts the best possible estate assets in the shortest possible timescales; combining advanced new methods of building with traditional skills.
“Our company is dedicated to delivering high quality new facilities for NHS Trusts, which partner with us to benefit from our vast experience working in this sector. Our continually evolving expertise spans across the full life cycle of a project, from concept and planning through construction to maintenance and operation.”
Source: www.mtx.co.uk
