Architectural
glazing systems from leading UK manufacturer Kawneer feature on a pioneering
healthcare building with so many strings to its bow it is difficult to know
where to start.
The new Proton
Beam Therapy (PBT) centre at The Christie NHS Foundation Trust in
Manchester is not only the first to be built in the UK, it is also the first
PBT centre in the world to achieve a BREEAM "Excellent" rating. It
has also won multiple awards for its design (around the equipment it houses and
the patient experience) by architects HKS.
One of the most
complex and precise projects in the history of the NHS, it was delivered on
budget and completed ahead of programme by main contractor Interserve who, due
to the lack of previous UK PBT examples, travelled more than 20,000 miles
around the world to visit 10 such centres and equipment vendors to learn best
practice.
The Kawneer systems
which feature on its five storeys are the manufacturer's traditional
stick-frame AA®100 zone-drained curtain walling, which has 50mm sightlines, and
thermally advanced AA°720 top-hung casement windows which feature a BRE Green
Guide 'A' rated frame.
Funded by a £250
million Government investment in conjunction with a second PBT centre at
University College London Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, the Manchester site
will treat annually up to 750 patients with complex cancers who would
previously have had to go abroad for treatment, to typically Switzerland and
America.
Conventional
radiotherapy uses lower-energy photon radiation to destroy cancerous cells but
surrounding tissue can also be damaged. In higher-energy proton therapy, the
beam stops once it hits the cancerous cells, resulting in less damage to
surrounding tissue - particularly important for children.
However, the
particle accelerator used to deliver the Proton Beams is as energy-hungry as
its sounds and requires a significant amount of power to generate the
high-energy beam. This demanded a dedicated electricity sub-station which
provides the same amount of power needed to run the nearby Trafford Industrial
Park.
The power generated
results in similar levels of waste heat but reclaiming this has made a
significant contribution to the BREEAM rating.
Modelled
using 3D technology and BIM, which is believed to have created theoretical
savings of around £1.95 million through early clash detection, the 15,000m2 future-proofed building features three 360° rotating gantry rooms as
well as a research room, CT and MRI imaging facilities, patient reception and
public space, and planning and support accommodation.
Its
list of technical features is almost as extraordinary as PBT itself. To contain
the radiation, the concrete walls are up to six metres thick. The building
incorporates 20,000m3 of concrete and 1,700 tonnes of reinforcement,
including steel bars up to 100mm diameter. Through this, 10km of services
pipework has been threaded. The concrete itself weighed 48,000 tonnes, the same
as two aircraft carriers, with the biggest single pour in a day being 648m3, the same as 105 concrete wagons.
All of this was
conducted in a suburban residential area, on a restricted site, and adjoining
live hospital buildings at the UK's busiest cancer hospital creating
immunosuppressed patients.
HKS said: "From
the outset, the design approach was to focus on patient experience. Various
measures were applied to create a warm and inviting space, aimed to reduce fear
and anxiety. Natural daylighting and landscaping were given high priority, as
well as a sense of community amongst the building's users. The waiting spaces
were positioned on external walls and courtyards, and the main waiting area
designed as a winter garden, integrating light, vegetation and social
interactivity.
"Given the
shallow bedrock and water table, the large three-storey concrete structure of
the treatment block was placed at grade and is situated in a dominant position
near the hospital main entrance. This provided an opportunity to announce the
facility's importance to passers-by, so signage, feature lighting and quality
cladding materials were used to showcase the building."
Manchester's new PBT
centre won Best Procure project in the BBH Building Better Healthcare awards,
Building of the Year by Greater Manchester Chamber of Commerce, and North West
Building Project of the Year in the Constructing Excellence awards delivered
with the BRE.
