Located in Cambridge, Addenbrooke’s is a renowned teaching hospital and research centre in Cambridge. Appointed by ESS Modular, Shanco was responsible for the groundworks for a new modular building designed to support patients with chronic illnesses. The new facility was constructed on the site of a former car park and between two existing buildings in the heart of the hospital’s complex.

Key Services

Concrete pads were used for the modular building’s foundations and reinforced plinths were then cast on top. New drainage was connected, and a pre-cast concrete trough was installed for the service ducting to ensure an existing service tunnel was not damaged.

Outside the new facility, Shanco reinforced an area of grass to enable it to support the weight of emergency vehicles such as fire engines. To ensure this space remained green, a ‘Grasscrete’ system was used. This is a cast-on-site cellular reinforced concrete system with voids created by plastic formers. Once these are removed, they can be replaced with grassed soil allowing water to pass through the concrete.

Overcoming Challenges

The highly constrained space required stringent planning and sequencing to avoid any disruption to emergency services, including ambulance access to the A&E department.

Shanco carefully coordinated all deliveries with suppliers redirected to the working area via the back of the hospital complex. The team also had to ensure that at least one vehicle could access the site at all times in case of an emergency, which further restricted the team’s working area.

One of the main challenges during the project’s early stages was the discovery of asbestos in the existing drainage and service areas, which had to be safely removed by a specialist team. In areas where the asbestos was identified as low risk, Shanco continued to deliver the groundworks using specialist PPE and face-fit respirators. Equipment had to be thoroughly cleaned each day and clothing safely disposed of once each section of work had been completed.

The Outcome

Shanco completed the works on-programme ensuring ESS Modular could efficiently deliver the rest of the build to the hospital’s requirements.