Case Study
Colchester Hospital - Elective Orthopaedic Centre
MMC Categories used:
Category 1: Structural chassis including external waterproof façade and roof
Category 5: M&E plant assemblies, pre-hung doorsets, pre-assembled furniture
Category 6: Pre-sized cladding panels, brick slips, wireless controls
Category 7: Monthly 360 progress cameras, timelapse camera, drone surveys
Pre-Manufactured Value 71%
MTX was awarded the contract to construct Colchester Hospital’s new £64million three-storey Elective Orthopaedic Centre in early 2022. The two-stage contract involved securing preconstruction services contract in 2020 and working with the trust to bring the design to RIBA stage four.
The Dame Clare Marx building is one of the largest centres of its kind in Europe, with eight new orthopaedic operating theatres, thirty-six recovery spaces and up to seventy-two beds, a reception area, and ancillary facilities.
It is hoped the surgical hub will increase the number of orthopaedic operations, such as knee and hip replacements, from 4,500 to up to 10,500 a year, leading to fewer cancelled operations and reducing waiting times for NHS patients across the region. The project will contribute to the NHS’s Elective Recovery Plan, delivering more procedures and scans to ensure no patients will wait longer than a year for surgery by March 2025.
A total of 293 structural steel units were manufactured in a factory environment to construct the building, with one of the largest cranes in the UK used to lift the final structural units into position in five phases.
The cost for the delivery of the ESEOC project - based on size, complexity and the delivery period - is significantly less than what you would normally expect to spend on a building of this type and complexity. Normally for a rapid roll out you would expect pay more per metre for the building – but with this project that has certainly not been the case and it represents outstanding value for money. It has been fascinating to see the build quality, the care taken over the construction and the complexity of the systems being installed.
Mark Hunter, Assistant Director, Estates & Capital at ESNEFT
Key Facts
Client: East Suffolk and North Essex NHS Foundation Trust
Construction Period: 108 weeks
Size: 11,000m2
