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Structural Engineer, Malachy McNamara shares the challenges and solutions behind the structural design of a world-class research centre for immunity and transplantation at the Royal Free Hospital in London.
The new Pears Building at The Royal Free hospital now sits proudly at the front of the healthcare campus as a beacon for world-class healthcare research, bringing together leading scientists, academic clinicians, and clinical trials specialists to develop revolutionary treatments and therapies.
This superb building aids in the discovery of disease-causing immune mechanisms and scientists utilise this knowledge to develop new immunotherapies within it. Designed by Hopkins Architects, this beautiful new structure houses state of the art laboratories, unique research facilities and write-up spaces for the UCL Institute of Immunity and Transplantation.
The light-filled interior has been designed to foster enhanced interaction amongst researchers, with research facilities and supporting space making the heart of the Institute a vibrant international hub for clinical research.
From the very beginning this project presented significant structural design challenges that influenced the final shape, setting and success of the project. The site was in a congested built-up inner London area with significant site constraints. To the north and west, the site was located adjacent to a public foot path, large trees, a protected public green space, Hampstead Hill school, and the historic St Stephen’s Church. To the eastern side of the site was a 24-hour emergency access route which serves the specialist heart attack centre and the hospital forecourt. To the south an electrical substation and main circulation road for the hospital.
The site was sloping, with a level change of more than 10 metres. A memorial garden sits directly over the car park structure which needed to be demolished for the new building. Below ground obstructions included a radiotherapy (LinAc) theatre, which was effectively a concrete bunker and needed to remain operational throughout the duration of the construction period.
The site was sloping, with a level change of more than 10 metres. A memorial garden sits directly over the car park structure which needed to be demolished for the new building. Below ground obstructions included a radiotherapy (LinAc) theatre, which was effectively a concrete bunker and needed to remain operational throughout the duration of the construction period.
Following the identification of these constraints, archive drawings were used to generate 3D models of the below ground obstructions including the LinAc theatre, the adjacent hospital basement, major utility services and potential piles of the existing car park. These 3D models were used in early design workshops to generate options for the new frame location and building levels to reduce cut volumes and to simplify the foundation solutions by avoiding expensive-to-move obstacles.
We reduced the need for a fully flexible floor plate by conducting a study to determine how the site would naturally reduce vibrations either using what we called ‘sweet’ spot, low vibration locations or by adopting anti-vibration bench technology which better suited the imaging equipment. We used thinner slabs, fewer down stands and less reinforcement which meant an easier frame to construct and in turn, significant savings for a minor change in flexibility.
This allowed us to concentrate on the passive design potential of the new concrete frame. So, we designed a fully exposed structure which included exposed building services. This met the desire for a beautifully detailed, totally exposed structure, whilst also addressing the need to control vibration for the sensitive equipment housed in the labs. When designing the concrete, special consideration was given to the colour and finish and to recess details for walls and columns whilst setting out required service holes and features. The omission of secondary finishes also provides for easier, long-term maintenance and the maximum surface area for thermal mass, passive cooling.
We met the desire for a beautifully detailed, totally exposed structure, whilst also addressing the need to control vibration for the sensitive equipment housed in the labs.
The detailed design of the Pears Building and challenges associated with the civil and structural engineering on a sloping, constrained site has created a beautifully simple, sustainable, and technically advanced structure that fits perfectly into its environment.
Of course, we can be rightfully proud of the engineering successes in this project, but we are equally proud of our role in constructing a groundbreaking facility that will help save many lives. It is a true industry exemplar and a direct product of the high level of design team coordination and collaboration using state of the art technology and a plethora of engineering expertise.
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