Modern methods of construction work with good design, great planning and client involvement. At a recent Exemplar event delegates saw the results at the Llandough Adult Mental Health Unit.

Significant investment is required in the NHS in Wales to ensure healthcare in Wales is world class and that means the Welsh construction industry has to not only build and deliver landmark facilities, but complete projects in a manner that are sustainable, create a legacy for local communities and that are fit for purpose.

One such scheme is the £88m new Adult Mental Health Unit within the University Hospital Llandough. The new mental health unit will provide services for Cardiff, bringing together existing adult and specialist services provided at Whitchurch Hospital and the Llanfair Unit under one roof. Delivered on behalf of the Cardiff & Vale Health Board within the Designed for Life Framework and administered by NHS Shared Services the scheme is critical for Cardiff and its surrounding communities, but also a challenge for the integrated team charged with delivering the project.

The modern, purpose built 135-bed inpatient facility, situated opposite the hospital’s existing main entrance, will include a concourse similar to that at the University Hospital of Wales. Its location is at the heart of the campus creating huge issues for the project team who needed to create a world class facility without affecting the operation of a live 21^st century healthcare environment.

That task alone warrants rating the Llandough Adult Mental Health Unit as exemplar, but we want you to learn from some of the project team’s other experiences.

The project aims to overcome the following challenges:

• Guaranteeing effective early contractor engagement
• Site constraints and the focus on minimising vehicle movements to reduce impact upon the surrounding hospital as well cut carbon emissions
• The implementation of BIM Level across the scheme, but with an emphasis on reducing waste by at least 50% with a supplementary goal of ensuring 15% of materials are recycled
• A focus on using modern methods of construction – particularly off-site construction to minimise the impact of the project on local communities, traffic and day-to-day healthcare operations
• Ensuring the overall scheme achieves BREEAM Excellent status
• Applying critical aspects of the Welsh Government construction procurement strategy