Adaptability at the heart of New Papworth Hospital

Steve Squire, head of Sika Major Projects, discusses approaches to integrated specification at the New Papworth Hospital, which is currently under construction at the famous Addenbrooke’s Hospital site in Cambridge. He explains that ensuring that the fabric of the building supports an extended service life for the hospital, excellent build quality, and reduced maintenance, have been a high priority, with Sika supplying a number of its products for use in different parts of the structure.

When it opens its doors to patients for the first time in 2018, the New Papworth Hospital will be taking forward an inspiring legacy. Currently under construction by Skanska at the Cambridge Biomedical Campus, the £165 million hospital will offer state-ofthe-art facilities designed to offer worldclass care and cutting-edge treatments. The new facility will build on Papworth’s global reputation for cardiac and thoracic care, which includes the hospital’s place in history as the location of the UK’s first ever successful heart transplant in 1979, and, more recently, Europe’s first successful heart transplant using a nonbeating heart (DCD) in 2015. It will also carry with it the expectation of patients, staff, families, and NHS managers. 

Papworth Hospital, currently located in Papworth Everard in Cambridgeshire, is one of the country’s highest-performing hospitals, and has consistently delivered some of the world’s most positive patient outcomes. Recreating a hospital that is held in such high regard and with so much affection on a new site is no small undertaking. However, the project has been prompted by a need to modernise, adapt, and future-proof facilities to cope with an increase in demand, advances in treatment options, and a more holistic approach to treating patients with multiple conditions within a single location