We were appointed to provide structural and civil designs for the construction of a new £400 million pound hospital for the NHS in Sandwell, Birmingham. The structure is a 10 storey tower split into three fingers. There is also a large five storey winter garden with a feature structural roof at the front of the building.

We also provided geo-environmental advice and scoping of surveys, remedial advice, substructure design, superstructure design, drainage design, flood risk assessment and coordination of external spaces amongst our works.

The development area is bounded to the north, west and south by highways and by a canal to the east. An overland flow path was provided between the canal and area south of the site due to the presence of a flooding culverted watercourse.

Initial drainage design was influenced by the flood risk assessment and drainage strategy reports which were developed with input from the lead local flood authority (Metropolitan Borough of Sandwell) as well as the Canal and Rivers Trust who were responsible for discharges into the canal. A strategy was agreed with all parties that included a green roof, oversized pipes, geocellular attenuation tanks and a storage basin. Below the feature “green” at the front of the hospital there was a 1,000m3 attenuation tank that had to withstand vehicular overrun as well as uplift forces from groundwater.

Designs also accounted for an increased climate change allowance to ensure the hospital maintained operational in all events.