A YORK firm has completed a groundbreaking £9 million construction project at a hospital in the region.

Modular construction company Yorkon has designed and built a three-storey healthcare facility for Bradford Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust. It is believed to be the UK's largest single hospital scheme to be built off-site using modular construction.

The project will enable up to 10,000 extra inpatients to be treated at the hospital each year. The 4,950sqm facility includes three new state-of-the-art wards containing 28 beds and six clean air operating theatres. It has a full-height glazed link to Bradford Royal Infirmary and three ambulance bays.

The building was manufactured off-site in York and craned into position as 123 steel-framed modules up to 14m in length and weighing up to eight tonnes. It was clad in traditional York stone to complement the surrounding local architecture.

Beverley Routh, project director for the scheme at Bradford Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust, said: "Our decision to use off-site construction was based on the benefits of this more innovative building method - the standardisation of components, guaranteed quality, price certainty and speed of construction. Speed was a key factor - it was vital to deliver this project as fast as possible to enable the Trust to meet its service commitments.

"Despite the confines of a very tight site, the design has met the Trust's functional and aesthetic requirements with a remarkable degree of flexibility. It is proving to be a splendid new facility for the Trust."

Karen Francis, a matron in the orthopaedic unit said: "It was with amazement that staff and members of the public watched a building of this size and complexity materialise in such a short space of time.

"This has been one of the most exciting service developments in the history of the hospital. Staff and patients alike are extremely impressed with the whole facility."

Keith Blanshard, director and general manager of Yorkon, said: "We are delighted to have been involved in this important project. We are experiencing a huge increase in demand for off-site construction from both public and private health service providers, and expect this to continue to rise.

"Speed of construction is a necessity for healthcare schemes, where it is essential to bring the building into use as quickly as possible to help reduce waiting times."

Updated: 09:50 Thursday, June 24, 2004