Project Northwick Park Hospital, UK

780 parking bays

Northwick MSCP was commissioned to accommodate staff at Northwick Park hospital and to replace an existing staff carpark. The client wanted a modern and contemporary facility which was sustainable and user-friendly. The car park (which was designed with a VCM ramp system) consists of 780 car parking spaces across 5 levels. It also includes 70 active Electric Vehicle Chargers (EVC), 70 passive EVCs and a parking management system.

Concurrently with the car park the shell of an energy centre was built, which was installed at a later stage of the construction process to replace the existing underground utilities and modernise the hospital’s power facilities. The shell was designed to protect the car park from an emergency (such as a fire) in the energy centre and vice versa. This was successfully achieved by creating a 60-minute fire-rated compartment wall which spanned to level 2 and adapting the steel beams above the energy centre shell.

Logistically, the project was very challenging. Firstly, the main feed of several vital utilities for the hospital was positioned in a series of tunnels directly under the footprint of the site which necessitated careful planning by the management team. Also, the location of the site added an additional challenge as the site was positioned within the hospital grounds and beside the one-way traffic route around the hospital. Thus, the management team were required to carefully plan the works to avoid congesting the hospital roads and stopping the constant flow of hospital traffic and deliveries.

Finally, due to a planned residential development surrounding the site, a complex panel façade was designed and installed with the purpose of enhancing the aesthetic of the facility whilst complimenting the proposed development.