Heartlands Hospital

Key points

• Sector: Healthcare
• Products:
  • • Etex Thruwall® System
    • Siniat Weather Defence^TM
    • GTEC Universal Board
    • GTEC dB Board
    • GTEC metals
• Client: University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust
• Architect: The Design Buro
• Contractor: Kier
• Subcontractor: CG Reynolds
• Project duration: June 2021 – May 2022

Design and specification

Siniat was already included on the procure 22 framework agreement, however, this was the first large commercial project that the company had done with Kier in the region. The architect had originally specified Siniat systems for just three wall types in the ACAD, but during the build it became clear the requirement for drywall, passive fire and external protection was far greater than the original design. Working closely together, Kier and Siniat identified a further eight wall types that needed to be included in the specification.

This resulted in a combination of Siniat’s products being specified, including its Thruwall® System which combines a combination of Weather Defence^TM external sheathing, GTEC Universal Board and GTEC dB Board for superior fire resistance, weathering, airtightness and sound insulation.

The benefit of specifying Thruwall® for the project was that it combines the three key elements of a building’s envelope; a non-loading steel frame, external sheathing and internal wall lining, in a fully tested, performance warranted system. This also overcame the problems of Kier having to work with different suppliers and being reliant on various supply chains in the middle of a pandemic. 

Weather Defence^TM external sheathing provides a faster way to weather tight structures compared to traditional sheathing boards. This meant the ACAD was protected from the elements and allowed internal trades to start work before the façade was fully complete.

GTEC Universal Board and GTEC dB Board were specified for the internal walls and partitions as they both provide superior acoustic and fire resistance (reaction to fire: Euroclass A2-s1,d0), both important elements for a busy healthcare environment.  GTEC dB Board is stronger, harder and heavier than standard plasterboard, making it ideal for areas where sound insulation is critical as it can cut noise up to 45 Rw dB - the level of a loud conversation. Single layer 15mm Universal Board partitions achieve Severe Duty to BS5234, so provide a superior level of durability that is suitable for high traffic areas.

Siniat was able to overcome several design challenges that arose during the project, such as addressing the requirement for the partition walls around the X-ray units to be lead lined.  Although lead is not traditionally part of Siniat’s systems, the company was able to come up with a technical solution to incorporate lead in the partition which was crucial to the project in order to protect staff and patients from radiation.

The project’s most challenging problem was presented by the number of building services that would be going through the ACAD Centre’s walls. Hospitals are complex environments and require a large amount of ducting, pipework and cabling to run through the walls. This is more than those of a standard build which normally means more gaps in the walls, which can cause challenges as if these are not sealed properly - meaning they could enable smoke and flames to spread rapidly in the event of a fire. The Siniat range of boards are more flexible than other similar products on the market which meant they were able to deal with the aperture openings. As a result, Siniat was able to offer an effective solution that worked around the services and ensured all requirements such as fire stopping were adhered to. 

Final Results

The pandemic has emphasised the importance of modern healthcare facilities, such as the new ACAD centre, for local communities. Through its strong supply chain, Siniat was able to ensure the supply of its products during a global pandemic and the subsequent national and localised lockdowns, which enabled the project to remain on track.  

In addition to a continual supply chain and strong relationships across parties, Siniat’s technical and design expertise, coupled with the outstanding properties of its products, proved invaluable to the success of the project. This included the design flexibility offered by the Siniat products which allowed for larger letterbox apertures to accommodate the services and for the provision of lead lined partitions.

During the project, Siniat was able to demonstrate to Kier the benefits of its products, in particular its fully tested and warranted Thruwall® System and Weather Defence^TM for the external envelope. This ability to offer a comprehensive range of fully tested, documented and warranted products from a single source was a significant benefit to Kier and has led to the company entering into a trade agreement and partnership with Etex Building Performance, Siniat’s parent company