Morgan Sindall to build MKUH ward block

Morgan Sindall will build a two-storey building, Oak Wards, with a linking corridor to the existing accident & emergency (A&E) department in hospital’s main building.The project, the second that Morgan Sindall is delivering for Milton Keynes University Hospital (MKUH) NHS Foundation Trust, is due to start on site in the fourth quarter of 2024 and should be completed in late 2025.The new Oak Wards facility will house two 24-bed wards, four of which will be five-bed bays and four will be single bedrooms, alongside ancillary space for storage, utility rooms, offices, a ward kitchen and staff areas.Sustainability features include air source heat pumps on the roof to supply power, while the façade, building services and insulation have been designed to exceed the current requirements for efficiency and thermal performance. A concrete frame will also be used instead of a steel one, providing opportunities to reduce embodied carbon levels, Morgan Sindall said.Planting trees and flowers, and installing bat boxes and insect hotels, will give the project a 10% biodiversity net gain, the team has calculated.Morgan Sindall has been collaborating with the MKUH NHS Foundation Trust since the project was at RIBA stage 2, advising on design and budget considerations at an early stage.Morgan Sindall is also working with the MKUH Foundation Trust on a new radiotherapy centre, which will house two linear accelerator (LINAC) bunkers. This is due to open this summer.Morgan Sindall Construction area director Emma Curtis said: “The ward expansion at Milton Keynes University Hospital will play a vital role in increasing the facility’s capacity. With Milton Keynes’ population increasing by more than 15% between 2011 and 2021, it’s important that we invest and upscale the city’s healthcare infrastructure to ensure that it is able to meet current and future challenges.“While the development has posed several operational, logistical and environmental questions, through our close collaboration with MKUH NHS Foundation Trust, we’ve designed a route forward that will result in a high-end and sustainable new ward. We’re looking forward to building on our relationship with the trust, which has been established over the course of multiple projects, including a new radiotherapy centre that we’re currently constructing.”