Skanska Walsall Manor – 30 Bed decant ward

In July 2014 MTX were awarded the contract to provide a new 30 bed decant ward for the Walsall Manor Trust Foundation in conjunction with Skanska who maintain the current site. The project which will provide six, four patient diamond wards, 6 single patient rooms and supporting infrastructure will be completed in December 2014.

The building is approximately 1500m2, and is to be constructed off site whilst ground works are completed on site. The building will reside on a former existing hospital car park earmarked for this development due to its close proximity to the hospital infrastructure. The building will sit upon 178 pad foundations dug into the site using a machine auger, which provides a safe and quick solution for this aspect of the construction phase. The building is due to be installed on site in September 2014, and consists of 31 modular sections arriving to site over a 4 day period. Each module will be lifted into its final resting place by a 350 tonne crane during this installation period within the confines of the construction site minimising disruption to the hospitals vital services.

The building will create a new dementia friendly ward providing much needed care for patients suffering from this terrible disease, a disease close to the heart at MTX. The new building will have a warm and welcoming feel with colour schemes proven to assist users with day to day undertakings and minimising confusion with otherwise sterile repetitive environments.

This project does not come without its challenges which have had to be resolved during the design development, such as addressing existing services under the building footprint being either rerouted or designed around, existing structures to remove and relocated and the time scale for completion.