Scope of Work: Musgrove Park Hospital’s new £87 million state-of-the-art surgical centre represents a significant investment in modern healthcare infrastructure. This cutting-edge facility replaces the hospital’s existing operating theatres and critical care unit, which have been in use since the Second World War. Initially built as part of a temporary casualty evacuation hospital for soldiers injured during the D-Day landings, these facilities have long surpassed their intended lifespan.
The new centre will not only provide much-needed upgrades to surgical and critical care services, but also house a brand-new endoscopy suite, offering advanced diagnostic capabilities and patient care.
In addition to the surgical centre, a multimillion-pound investment in advanced imaging technology, including new X-ray machines and scanners, is being designed. However, these high-tech additions necessitated structural upgrades in certain parts of the hospital. Specifically, several concrete beams required reinforcement to accommodate the additional loads and ensure the long-term stability and safety of the facility as it incorporates these modern medical technologies.
During construction, a minor error in concrete batching resulted in several new concrete columns testing below the required strength following cube tests. This posed a significant challenge, as demolishing and rebuilding these newly constructed columns would have had a major impact on both the project timeline and budget.
Faced with this issue, the project team had two options: either undergo the time-consuming and costly process of demolition or choose a more efficient solution using a carbon fibre reinforced polymer (CFRP) system. The CFRP method offered a quicker and more cost-effective alternative to remediation, strengthening the columns without requiring demolition.
By choosing CFRP, the project team was able to ensure the structural integrity of the columns whilst keeping the construction project on track and avoiding significant budget overruns.
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Due to its thin profile, high strength and rapid installation, carbon fibre strengthening was the ideal solution for reinforcing the columns that had low concrete strength. To address the issue, CCUK’s expert team of installation technicians collaborated closely with the Trust and the main contractor to plan the process from start to finish.
Once the plan was in place, our team prepared the affected concrete columns and applied two layers of the Sika Wrap carbon fibre strengthening system. This innovative approach restored the columns to their required load-bearing capacity without the need for demolition or reconstruction.
The carbon fibre reinforcement process offers several key benefits. Its thin application adds no significant dead load to the structure, making it an efficient option for strengthening columns. In addition, multiple columns can usually be strengthened in a single day, speeding up the project timeline. Once applied, the carbon fibre system can be coated, rendering it invisible and unnoticeable, ensuring both structural integrity and aesthetic appeal.
