Implementing innovative design: challenges in a live hospital environment

In a live hospital environment, undertaking any construction work is as much of a short-term hassle as a long-term benefit. But vertical transportation is more than just a convenience when speed, reliability and efficiency are critical components of patient care. Ageing infrastructure, which threatens to collapse daily procedures upon failure, is a fundamental fault that hospitals cannot afford.

In a major London hospital, a recent project addressed a prolonged issue of this kind. The brief grew from a small refurbishment to a complex lift replacement and modernisation project, transforming the way goods and people move through the facility. 

When to address ageing infrastructure

Portfolio and building managers often leave infrastructure to degrade and fall out of service if there is no appropriate funding to make the necessary upgrades to unlock the potential of vertical transportation facilities. Ensuring services remain safe and compliant is the minimum, but as the need for refurbishment arises, this opportunity can be seized to implement more effective routes back to functionality.

The London hospital project began with a request to return two condemned goods lifts, originally installed in the 1960s, back into service. However, following a comprehensive condition and technical survey, it became clear that a simple repair wouldn’t be good enough to serve the hospital’s needs. The original lift sizes were no longer fit for purpose.  

They couldn’t accommodate modern hospital bins or the bulky equipment required for 21st-century healthcare. This provided the opportunity for an ambitious solution, going above and beyond what operated previously, challenging our engineers to design the space anew. Necessity is the mother of invention, after all.

Design solutions reimagined

Our team proposed a bold move: the total removal of the two existing goods lifts, which shared a single shaft, to make way for one massive, high-capacity goods and service lift. Expanding the scope resulted in the simultaneous modernisation of three additional passenger lifts alongside the main goods lift. This ensured a cohesive, reliable lift network would be implemented across the facility, all enjoying the same level of technical expertise and specification management.

Key milestones within the project included: 

• Precision engineering: We compiled a rigorous technical performance specification which balanced the hospital’s specific design requirements with strict Health Technical Memorandum (HTM) regulations.
• End-to-end management: Cundall managed the entire lifecycle of the project, from the initial tender process to the final handover.
• Quality assurance: Through regular progress inspections, site meetings, and final witness testing, we ensured every detail met our high standards. 

Deviating from the proposal is an unusual turn for our vertical transportation team to put forth a replacement design in place of a refurbishment. However, a thorough case study was undertaken to evidence the superiority of one goods lift over two smaller ones. Our team was confident in their design proposal, and the client agreed when presented with the compiled information.

The practical challenge

Innovative design was only the first step. The hurdle in a live hospital environment is coordinating with all involved stakeholders and third parties. By working in tandem with facility managers and site maintenance teams, Cundall oversaw the demolition, construction, and movement of materials and equipment into the building to align with ongoing hospital functions.

Carefully scheduling noisy work was necessary to avoid clashing with delicate procedures such as surgeries, which would be disrupted by noise and vibrations. By coordinating with the NHS Trust, facility managers, doctors, and surgeons, the team ensured the project was not delayed by these constraints, nor were any tensions created when carrying out the works.  

The requirements for care in this regard far outweighed those necessary for projects in other environments. A live hospital is an exacting setting that demands flawless execution and seamless communication throughout. 

Unique circumstances, innovative outcomes

Precise, individual challenges and the provision of future-gazing solutions moulded this project into its final shape.

Following the works being carried out, the hospital now has a robust, compliant, and future-proofed lift system which supports both staff and patients every single day. Cundall has since been engaged in repeating the exercise for another two redundant lifts within the hospital, as a reaction to the success of this project.