East Wing at St Thomas’ Hospital has been a feature of the London skyline since it first opened to patients in 1966 and now the 13-storey tower has been given a new lease of life following an extensive revamp.
The East Wing project was managed by Essentia ‘Guy‚‘s and St Thomas’ in-house infrastructure provider ‚Äì and delivered by a team including lead building contractor ISG, architects Hopkins Architects, engineering consultants Arup, and project managers Mace.
Portions of the building have been overclad in a new glazed facade that has both weatherproofed the building and improved its energy efficiency. A key benefit being the addition of two new lifts for critically ill patients who need to be transferred from the hospital’ A&E department to the intensive care units and inpatient wards in East Wing.
The interior of the building now includes two airy and light glass atria, which contain eye-catching artwork – Aquatic Flora I & II by Tsai & Yoshikawa – to improve the hospital environment for patients, visitors and staff. The challenge of the East Wing project was to carry out the work with minimal disruption while clinical services, which include two intensive care units and 200 inpatient beds, continued to function as part of a busy city hospital.
Steve McGuire, Director of Essentia at Guys’ and St Thomas’ says: ‘East Wing is home to some of the most important clinical services at St Thomas’, caring for some of our sickest patients. The rationale for the East Wing project was simple ‘the building was leaking, it wasn’t energy efficient, and the lifts to take patients from A&E to intensive care and wards were not fit for purpose, and so a complete overhaul was needed.
‘Improving our infrastructure without disrupting patient care is a key priority and we are very proud that the East Wing project was completed without cancelling any appointments or treatment.’
Stuart Deverill, ISG’s Southern Regional Managing Director, comments: ‘This complex and logistically challenging project has been a triumph of careful planning and considerate execution. Strong partnerships have been integral to the delivery of the East Wing scheme and we are delighted to have led the construction on this transformational project for the Trust.’
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