London & South East Premier Construction

Hospice project is handled with care

Naomi House, Stockbridge Road, Winchester
Written by Roma Publications

Naomi House, Stockbridge Road, Winchester

A major redevelopment is underway at Naomi House Hospice at Stockbridge Road, Winchester, in a project geared to providing a wealth of new facilities and to update accommodation to meet the latest requirements of children and their families.

Naomi House Senior Press and Communications Officer Keith Wilson told Premier Construction:

“The project main contractors Reside Construction, as well as the sub contractors involved are doing a great job, they work very hard and both they and the sub contractors understand the sensitivity of the project. They are all good to work with.”

The works commenced with a strip-out in which over 31 tonnes of material was removed.

“This is a huge redevelopment. Naomi House has been open for 17 years now and the children coming to us are now living longer which is great – however they are also coming with the need for more technology and equipment, as well as larger wheelchairs. We found that we just no longer had the space to store all this equipment and the rooms weren’t big enough to make every child’s stay as enjoyable as it should be. One of the main elements of the development is that we will be increasing the size of all the bedrooms which will make a huge difference to the children’s stay,” said Keith Wilson.

Naomi House, Stockbridge Road, Winchester

In addition to enlarging the bedrooms, additional en-suite bathrooms will be added and existing bathrooms are being enlarged. Rooms will also be fitted with piped oxygen and suction, to help care for the increasingly complex needs of growing children with all the medical equipment they bring with them when they stay. The hospice hoist system is also being improved, making it easier to transport children around the building.

A much larger fully equipped new kitchen is being created to provide the enlarged facilities needed, yet designed to still have a ‘domestic’ homely feel.

Other elements of the scheme include the creation of a large two-storey ‘hub’ with dedicated but flexible spaces for ‘messy play’, dining, quiet areas and other functions. It will also incorporate first floor bedrooms for the families of children staying at the hospice, as well as a lift.

The hub will be located within a new build element being constructed between Naomi House and its adjacent facility, known as Jacksplace. The new building is structured around a steel frame with brick external elevations featuring cedar motifs, and a tiled roof.

“The lift was a particularly tricky part of this element of the project as the lift shaft sits below the water table. We therefore had to create a rather clever waterproof concrete mould to accommodate the base of the lift shaft,” added Keith Wilson.

Naomi House, Stockbridge Road, Winchester

An innovative ventilation and control system is also being installed, comprising fine piping within the ceiling to provide a comfortable temperature controlled environment.

LBHS employs teams of skilled mechanical and electrical engineers providing quality service and repair works across all types of mechanical, electrical, boiler, heating and plumbing systems. Within Naomi House the team is installing the heating, ventilation, cooling, domestic services and building management control.

Darren Hedges from LBHS commented:

“This project will be the first in the country to have a unique ceiling mounted heating and cooling system with the use of Zehnder Panels which will be strategically place to ensure optimum efficiency.

“LBHS believe all clients and projects are equally important. This project is a much needed scheme for Naomi House providing new operating systems for the building.”

Relocated to the quieter end of the building, a new Butterfly bereavement suite is being created to offer families the private space they need to say their farewells to their child.

A new spiritual area is also being added, providing an opportunity for remembrance and reflection. This will lead out on to a roof terrace looking over the grounds.

Almost all of the works are being undertaken at Naomi House itself with the exception of the construction of a Cedar clad covered link bridge, providing weather-protected access between Naomi House and the new hub building.

Further works include the creation of a brand new memory garden.

Naomi House, Stockbridge Road, Winchester

Castletech Fabrications

Castletech Fabrications are a design, fabrication and installation company based in Poole, offering a high specification and quality service in the construction industry. Whether clients requirements are commercial, residential, structural or architectural, Castletech Fabrications are able to assist from design through to completion.

The firm have carried out work throughout the UK and Europe combining their experienced workshop team with their specialist site installation team to offer a high quality product. Their recent involvement in Naomi House included:

Detailed design of the structural steel frames to form the shell of the new extension to Naomi House

  • Produced Steel work GA and Fabrication drawings
  • Sourced & Fabricated 41 tons of Steel
  • Managed the logistics of powered access to site and craneage in-house, including the lift plan
  • Erected, lined and levelled the new steel frame to drawing
  • Installed 9 tons of steel along with the temporary propping to enable the proposed alterations to the existing building

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Roma Publications