Work is in progress to expand the critical care facilities at Sheffield’s Northern General Hospital. The design incorporates extensive use of glass together with a mixture of timber, render and brick cladding to create a modern-looking building distinct from most traditional hospitals.
Slope stabilisation was required for the footpaths and parking bays therefore main contractor Kajima Construction Limited contracted Phi Group, the retaining structure specialist, to design supply and build six retaining walls.
The road could not be closed, as it provided the main ambulance route, therefore construction had to be done from behind with limited access.
Two Permacrib retaining walls totaling 80 metres long by two metres high are being built around the front perimeter of site to retain the parking bays and footpath. Four Titan modular block walls 100mm long by 2.5 metres high are being built to retain footpaths and stairways within the site.
During construction of the new hospital extension over the last seven months Phi Group’s flexibility in providing both Permacrib and Titan retaining wall solutions, has enabled it to work within the contractor’s complex contract requirements. Construction of the retaining walls commenced in September 2006 and is due to complete in March this year.
