15th August 2024

Perega gives Princess Royal University Hospital the perfect treatment

Perega’s structural engineering team has had significant involvement in the complex development of a new endoscopy unit at Princess Royal University Hospital (PRUH). The project, which we adopted at Stage 3, required substantial reworking.

The planned two-storey concrete frame building, located on a former car park adjacent to the hospital, presented a major challenge involving an existing large concrete attenuation tank situated directly beneath. The original design placed several columns directly over this tank, but it was clear that the tank could not support the additional load. To address this, we designed substantial transfer beams, spanning approximately 13 metres and measuring over 2 metres wide and almost 1.5 metres deep, to distribute the load away from the tank and onto more stable foundations.

In addition to solving the column issue, our team also worked on refining the slab thickness to handle the high loads on the first floor, optimising the design to balance performance and cost-effectiveness. The team also made significant improvements to the ground beams, ensuring they integrated well with the building’s services, and introduced a sheet pile solution for the retaining walls, bypassing poor-quality topsoil and anchoring into more stable ground at lower depths.

The drainage system presented another set of challenges. The existing design included numerous internal manholes, unsuitable for a hospital environment. We reworked the drainage plan, reducing the number of manholes to just two and placing the remainder outside the building to improve functionality and aesthetics.

A separate aspect of the project involved designing a sizeable substation, featuring a basement and ground floor, which required the incorporation of steelwork to support heavy units. The reinforced concrete and brickwork structure presented a significant addition to the overall design, further complicating the requirements.

Our Senior Structural Engineer, Finn Neylon, says, “Our work here exemplifies Perega’s commitment to achieving the highest quality and safety possible to ensure that these new structures will stand on solid ground – literally and figuratively.”

For more information about Perega’s work on healthcare projects, click here.