20th October 2018

New lease on life-giving care at Chase Farm Hospital

With advancing technology and a growing population, it’s crucial for healthcare facilities to be up to date and fit for purpose. After four years of planning and building, Chase Farm Hospital in Enfield is a shining example of a 21st century facility.

Thomasons was appointed in 2015 as civil and structural engineers for the £150 million project, its largest in London to date. This autumn, the new North London hospital opened its doors, ready to serve a population of 1.6 million people per year.

To help reduce losses on site as services transferred from the old building to the new, the completion date was crucial and required a tight construction programme. When the firm was brought on, however, the proposed design underwent a number of changes to address site constraints, causing further pressure to programme delivery. Groundworks started at the end of 2015, only 6 months after the first issue of concept sketches for the revised design.

Technology has played a key role in the project. In the lead up to completion, coordination and communication were made easier with BIM Level 2. Designed to promote faster, more comfortable recovery, treatment of more patients and increased sustainability, the completed building is digitally enabled and will allow for future integration of technology.

Project Director Fraser Robb comments: “Having lived in Enfield for 30 years, I’m proud to have contributed to the community I grew up in.”

Project Lead Ewa Ambrosius comments: “This development was long overdue. There is a huge amount of satisfaction in knowing that we’ve delivered a building that’s going to make people’s lives better and the building is prepared to do so for generations to come.”

While the structural work on the hospital is complete, work on the surrounding roads and landscaping is ongoing with expected completion next spring.