When Cardiff’s Velindre Cancer Centre needed new office accommodation to consolidate its administration staff in one location, allowing it to expand its patient care areas, staff contacted Wernick Buildings, which manufactured a suitable modular building off site in its factory in just six weeks.
Mike Ellery, Capital Development & Operations manager at the Velindre NHS Trust, said: “We knew traditional construction would be more at risk of delays through the winter, whereas a modular building gave us a better guarantee on deliverables.”
While the building process was ‘swift and easy’, the installation proved more challenging. Contracts manager, Ben Hitchcock, explained: “The proposed site was located between protected buildings and a protected tree. The lift also required a 250-tonne crane, which presented a challenge in itself; it took us an hour just to get it on site.”
Once the units were installed, the external white render finish with cedar cladding features was soon complete, along with external lighting and security systems. The building features conference rooms, open plan office space, a disabled access lift, toilet facilities, and an ADT alarm system. Mike Ellery said: “Staff are very happy with the building, it’s spacious, open, and bright.”
