Case Studies

Charter Medical

TEAM

ORS Multidisciplinary Team

Sector

Healthcare

Related Services

Project management, structural engineering, assigned and design certifier and PSDP

People To Contact

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Overview of service

Charter Medical represents excellence in the highest clinical standard of patient care. It provides both public and private healthcare services ranging from specialist consultancy care and an injuries clinic.

ORS was appointed to provide multidisciplinary services for the internal refurbishment and fit-out of the Alverna Ward in Mullingar, Co. Westmeath. The works included stripping out the existing floor and ceilings in the ward and demolishing some internal walls to merge existing rooms and form an endoscopy theatre. ORS project managed the design team to include architectural, structural engineering, fire safety and disability access consultancy, assigned and design certifier and PSDP.

Before work commenced, a fire risk assessment (FRA) was carried out to determine the key areas that needed to be remediated in compliance with current building standards. The FRA concluded that a revised fire certificate application was required and subsequently prepared by specialist fire engineers.

Mechanical and electrical design was an important part of this project. In the role of design certifier, ORS worked in close collaboration with the M&E designer. To meet the infection control requirements, the endoscopy theatres required specialised gas lines within the rooms for the procedural work and negative pressure room control.

Working with Charter Medical on this project exemplifies how ORS delivers complex multidisciplinary solutions. It involved appointing a project coordinator as the client’s single point of contact. The result of the extensive and specialist work allows the client to offer enhanced medical services in the region.

Project challenges

Collaboration

This project needed to be completed in a very tight timeframe. There was only a small window within the hospital’s operating schedule which would allow for this ward to be unoccupied when the construction works were carried out. Also, due to the age of the building, detailed as-constructed drawings were not available; therefore, it was difficult to understand what impact the demolition works would have on the building structurally.

The timeframe was managed by working closely with the client and the contractor. Project meetings were held weekly, and clearly defined communication channels were kept throughout the project. When dealing with the fire safety certificate application, it was decided to submit the FSC under a seven-day notice as the project timeline would not allow the FSC to be granted through the conventional route.

In the absence of structural engineering drawings for the existing building, our structural engineers conducted a detailed site survey which included some invasive work carried out by the contractor. This allowed our engineer to gather the required information about the existing building and ensure that the detailed design of the proposed structural elements was robust with no assumptions made.