Whittington Hospital, Archway, London

Perega has provided civil and structural engineering survey, analysis and design services to support the £140 million redevelopment programme at Whittington Hospital. Projects to date have focused on enabling works, the remodelling and extension of the maternity and neonatal department, and site-wide infrastructure enhancements.

Maternity & Neonatal Department

The maternity and neonatal project involved a complex refurbishment and remodelling programme to improve clinical services by providing additional capacity, improving departmental adjacencies and meeting space standards.

Working alongside Graham Construction as part of the wider design team, Perega developed the overall plans to RIBA Stage 2+, with the labour ward remodelling and extension progressed to Stage 3. The project was divided into five phases, with the labour ward, neonatal intensive care unit (NICU), special care baby unit (SCBU) and associated enabling works forming Phase 1.

Perega’s scope included assessing the existing labour ward building and designing the labour ward extension, strengthening works and links between the buildings. The team also developed designs for the service tower and Block C infill.

The project required multiple areas to be remodelled and extended, both concurrently and in succession, making a phased and collaborative approach to the design essential. Changes to project funding subsequently required the design to be rephased, with services delivered in a different order to reflect the revised priorities.

Perega was involved in developing the high-level strategy for the revised phasing. This maintained the key design principles while making use of as much of the design work already completed as possible.

Electrical Infrastructure Upgrades

Perega has also supported the hospital’s electrical infrastructure upgrades, which form an important part of supporting its growing operations and future projects, including the maternity transformation.

The project included the design of a new energy centre, comprising a brick-slip clad concrete frame with below-ground service trenches to house the generators and connected fuel store.

The below-ground structure for the bulk fuel store was located on a highly congested site adjacent to the boundary and public highway, requiring coordination with the local authority and highway approval. Perega’s structural engineering scope included design development for the main substructure, internal walls, mezzanine floor, contiguous piled wall and frames supporting the fuel tanks. The team also helped coordinate the integration of the structure with building services and flue designs, while providing input into the complex phasing required to relocate the existing service trench, gas main and oxygen plant.

As part of the enabling works for the new energy centre, Perega also produced the demolition specification for the old boiler house. This included a 30m-high brick chimney and precast concrete portal frames partially built into the existing adjacent building.

Alongside the structural design, Perega produced Revit models and undertook carbon calculations at Stage 2 to compare the embodied carbon of steel and concrete frame options. The team also provided supporting information for the planning application and developed tender information for the construction packages.

A key milestone has recently been reached on site with the connection of the hospital’s electrical cables to the new high-voltage power supply. This increases the hospital’s electrical capacity from 2,600 kVA to 8,500 kVA.