Project summary
Honoured as the overall winner at the Construction Excellence Awards 2017, the GRAHAM-BAM Healthcare Partnership’s Inpatient Ward Block at the Ulster Hospital has set the standard in healthcare construction.Designed to exceed the highest building and infection control requirements and incorporating input from over 200 user groups, the state-of-the-art £85 million Inpatient Ward Block is dramatically enriching the working environment of dedicated staff while enhancing the lives of patients on a daily basis.In addition, the Partnership is constructing the Hospital’s new £95m Acute Services Block adjacent to the Inpatient Ward Block. The topping out ceremony was held in January 2018 with the ambitious second phase project expected for completion in August 2019.
Project detail
Constructed to an unrivalled standard, work on the £85 million project began in June 2013 before opening its doors to widespread acclaim in April 2017. The seven storey spacious building, designed to maximise natural light, features a procedural area on the ground floor and four floors of 288 ensuite bedrooms within 12 inpatient wards.The transformative new build, which received a Gold Award from the Considerate Constructors Scheme, and is BREEAM ‘excellent’, replaced a stagnant ward built in the 1960s, and showcases innovation designed to enhance the lives of patients. Low level lighting that is red at night to encourage sleep before gradually turning blue to assist patients waking up naturally in the morning is just a small snapshot of our revolutionary approach.A commitment to robust collaboration between GRAHAM-BAM, the client, user-groups, the design team and subcontractors ultimately ensured the final build is the benchmark for future healthcare projects.
What they had to say
“A customer-centred approach to the needs and operations of the Hospital were researched and understood from the outset, which resulted in a positive experience for the client. Overall, the judges were particularly impressed with how the project was managed. Everything from the way the subcontractors were procured to the creation of detailed traffic management plans, all areas very carefully thought out to ensure a successful outcome”
Judges, Construction Excellence Awards