Northern Irish building company Lowry Building & Civil Engineering Ltd from Castlederg has beaten builders across the UK to scoop the award for the best Public Sector project in the prestigious Federation of Master Builders’ (FMB) Master Builder Awards 2019. These awards, which celebrate the nation’s best builders, were announced recently in front of a packed audience at a ceremony in London.
Nick Knowles, TV presenter and building enthusiast, handed the best Public Sector project award to the company for work undertaken at the Western Health and Social Care Trust Hospital, Derry (WHSCT).
Lowry Building & Civil Engineering constructed two highly specified, new build surgical theatres within an internal courtyard space of the building. The high-risk project was completed in a ‘live’ hospital environment bounded by operational wards and busy clinics. The confined site location caused restricted staff access while strict infection control procedures had to be implemented and monitored over the contract duration.
No material delivery was permitted through the hospital; everything had to be craned in overhead using out-of-hours scheduling to prioritise the needs of WHSCT and patients. An existing prefabricated unit was demolished and removed overhead of the hospital building to establish a site for the new theatres’ steel frame. An existing area within the hospital was also completely renovated to tie in with the new build.
Health and safety was paramount in this high-risk hospital environment, with constant public interface and intense requirement for infection control. All plans were reviewed in detail by WHSCT prior to commencement and all possible work activities were planned out of hours to reduce disturbance to staff and patients. Judges were impressed with the finish and care taken during the complicated operation.
Brian Berry, Chief Executive of the FMB, said, “This project is of a high quality with a clinical finish, delivering vital services to an impressive standard of construction. Lowry Building & Civil Engineering is a very worthy winner.”
