Planning and Construction
The new hospital cost a total of £545 million, and is part of a £1 billion urban regeneration plan for Bournbrook and Selly Oak which includes the construction of a £350 million retail development and the construction of the Selly Oak bypass. Plans for the new hospital were unveiled in 1998 and were approved by Birmingham City Council in October 2004 after the design was unveiled earlier that year. The hospital is the first acute hospital to be built in Birmingham since 1937.
The new building is part of a Private Finance Initiative with Consort Healthcare Ltd. There were problems with the scheme when plans for Consort to sign the deal fell through in March 2005. A deal was signed in early 2006.
The hospital was designed by BDP Architects and construction, which was undertaken by Balfour Beatty, began in June 2006. Five Liebherr 280 EC tower cranes supplied by Balfour Beatty Civil & Construction Plant Services (BBCCPS) were used during construction. Three of the cranes were among the tallest free-standing structures in the UK. One of the cranes was at its maximum free standing height, 90.2 m (295.9 ft) under the hook and could lift 12 t at 27.9 m (91.5 ft) or 4.9 t at 60 m (197 ft). The other two cranes stand at 79.5 m (260.8 ft).
The first part to be completed was the £12 million multi-storey car park. A further £30 million was spent on preparing the site for construction. The finished complex comprises three 63-metre-tall towers, each 9 stories tall. A sky-bridge leads from one of the towers to the retained estate containing the departments of oncology, the pharmacy and the Wellcome Research Centre. As well as providing patient care, the hospital includes an education centre and retail outlets. The main atrium has a glass roof.
Read more about this topic: Queen Elizabeth Hospital Birmingham, New Hospital
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