It is easy to make the mistake of thinking that a modular building is nothing more than a clever box that is delivered and erected on site in isolation from the site and the buildings around it.

But health trusts and their teams must learn to recognise that a well-designed and expertly realised modular building is an integral part of their estate and must be conceived in that way – thinking ‘outside the box’!

When Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust took the decision to invest in a new £29 million Acute Intensive Care Unit (AICU) at the city’s John Radcliffe Hospital – the principal concerns were the proven advantages of modular construction using Modern Methods of Construction – speed, cost-saving and a greener build with less waste and a reduced carbon footprint.

But MTX took their solution to the next level. They delivered the urgently needed facility – and added value by integrating the new AICU with the adjacent recently refurbished Trauma building’s theatres, ED, and imaging / diagnostic facilities.

Linking on four of the five floors in the new building provided a fast, efficient through-route for patients who require critical care. Integrating the two structures also meant that they each had access to the other’s stairwell, thanks to the MTX design concept.

Those links therefore delivered fire safety and evacuation standards that enabled both the new building and the Trauma centre to meet modern benchmarks for fire safety, and ensured they were both compliant.