New £5.5m academic centre takes shape at Milton Keynes University Hospital

Beard Construction is celebrating the first milestone on a £5.6 million scheme to transform a redundant energy centre at Milton Keynes University Hospital.

The transformation will see the area be turned into a state-of-the-art academic centre for the University of Buckingham medical students.

The regional construction firm has completed the first phase of the multi-storey steel frame – the ‘structural bones’ of the new building.

Located just off Fleming Drive, the new purpose-built two-storey centre will provide a medical education and training facility for students, doctors, health professionals and nurses.

The cutting-edge teaching facility Beard is constructing four simulated wards, a treatment room, two consultation rooms, a simulated operating theatre which will have a video link for live procedures, and a 150-seat lecture theatre.

The build will also include the creation of ground-floor office accommodation, meeting rooms, kitchen facilities, and flexible study and seminar spaces.

Designed by Feilden+Mawson Architects, the new energy-efficient building will achieve a Good BREEAM rating and photo voltaic solar panels will be installed on the roof.

“This is a really exciting and challenging project for our team,” says Tom Harbottle, project manager for Beard Oxford.

“The construction site is in a very tight location which is right in the middle of the busy hospital grounds.

“Our focus will be on delivering the scheme with minimum disruption to patients and staff so that works do not affect the daily running of the hospital.

“We are delighted to be working with the University of Buckingham and Milton Keynes University Hospital on this hugely important medical facility.”

The project, which is the result of a partnership between the hospital and the University of Buckingham Medical School, who are funding the scheme, is due for completion in November this year.

John Clapham, chief operation officer of the Medical School at the University of Buckingham says: “This is a fantastic state-of-the-art building right in the centre of the hospital grounds.

Students and staff will benefit from first class facilities which will hugely aid their training.

“It’s a great illustration of the successful partnership we have with Milton Keynes Hospital.”