Cawarden demolishes and clears the former Leicester Royal Infirmary A&E department as part of £48 million revamp.

Leicester Royal Infirmary underwent a major modernisation project to provide new, state-of-the-art medical facilities. As part of this revamp, the old buildings housing the A&E department had to be demolished and cleared while the rest of the hospital remained fully operational.

Cawarden was appointed to this high-profile project to carry out the demolition and all associated works required to clear the site of the former A&E department.

We completed a widespread soft strip of all the buildings, with waste segregated to maximise recycling. Licensed and non-licensed asbestos materials were removed under suitably controlled conditions and safely disposed of at licensed facilities.

The buildings to be demolished were located between the existing wings of the hospital and contained live services running through ductwork and basement levels feeding other buildings. While most services were re-routed, some had to stay in place. We therefore undertook extensive propping and shoring operations to ensure the relevant services were unaffected.

Several basements underneath the Langham Wing needed infilling before they could be demolished.

Consisting of a mix of construction types and with major temporary works schemes in place throughout the site, old wards, link bridges, former nurses’ accommodation and the former hospital chapel were demolished in a planned sequence and using a variety of demolition methodologies and techniques. Complex separation works to live/redundant structures were meticulously completed by hand. All slabs and footings were raised and crushed.

Waste and recyclable materials arising from the demolition works were removed from the site and transferred to a licensed recycling facility.

It was of paramount importance that the hospital was not affected during the works, including the designated blue route for ambulances that had to remain accessible at all times. The proximity of the live buildings surrounding the working area required the use of the latest dust suppression technology to control the dust created from the works.

To complete our work on the project, the site was remediated and a piling mat was installed to prepare for the new-build construction.  

Our in-house expertise in sensitive demolition helped to identify opportunities and manage risks from start to finish. Throughout the works, we worked within a live hospital environment which was an added challenge for the site team, but nothing we had not had to deal with previously. Industry know-how, carefully planned logistics, extensive resources and an innovative approach all contributed to the completion of the vast range of complex activities – and ultimately the overall success of the project.

The result of our work set the foundations for the new-build “emergency floor,” providing both patients and staff with an improved environment for receiving and providing care.

Learn more about our work on this project
Check out our feature in Demolition & Dismantling Magazine here