When certainty of delivery is vital. New film shows how you turn an empty warehouse into a fully-fledged hospital in 57 days

Screenshot YouTube video

Hemel Hempstead, 6 August 2020 - In just 57 days, an old DIY store was transformed into a new 116-bed mini general hospital with near theatre-standard performance, complete with scanners.

To be certain of delivery on time, multiple teams had to work in a high-pressure environment and act as a team.

At its peak, 468 people were on site, all socially distanced, designing and delivering the NHS Nightingale Exeter hospital on time for the Royal Devon and Exeter NHS Foundation Trust.

The new facility is there to treat Covid-19 patients and it is different because it is designed to be a flexible facility whilst coronavirus cases remain low. It is now being used as a diagnostics centre for by patients with a range of conditions.

2,500 people were involved overall including from across all BAM’s expert teams including design, construction, plant, technical services and FM. All played their part alongside the Army, local sub-contractors and community-spirited volunteers.

The starting point was a slab, four walls and partly leaking roof. There was no water, power, air-conditioning, or drainage and the design team was working just 24-hours ahead of the construction teams.

Thank you everyone involved and this film gives a glimpse on how they did it – through Teamwork: