Addenbrookes Hospital in Cambridge has been awarded a contract to construct a £28 million key worker housing development for the hospital site to main contractor, SDC Construction.

Precast Concrete Structures has been awarded the contract to design supply and erect the four six-storey buildings which will provide 100 apartments and a total of 292 beds for hospital staff.

The original scheme was based on an insitu concrete design. PCS worked with the Design Team to change the structure to a precast solution to gain considerable programme and finishing benefits.

The Precast Concrete Structures design utilises twin wall panels which provide rapid erection times and reduced costs for follow-on trades as they are of sufficiently high quality to accept direct decoration without the need for plastering or dry lining.


The twin wall panels, which are half the weight of solid concrete panel sections, are delivered to site in carefully planned and managed just-in-time process, ready to be craned into position. After erection the panels are filled with self-compacting concrete, which provides the integrity if insitu concrete along with the quality and speed of precast concrete.

External, brick clad, pre-cast concrete panels are used to form the balconies to maintain the brickwork external facade treatment.

The development is a mix of en-suite rooms and flats which will have a range of features including brie soleil, photo voltaic cells, heat exchangers and balconies, in addition to bicycle storage areas – an essential requirement for a development in a city where bicycles are the principal mode of transport.

Erection of the structures commenced on site mid-April 2009 with projected completion during October 2009.

Precast Concrete Structures Ltd has built a reputation based on extensive experience of innovative design and manufacture concepts, and the use of composite steel and concrete materials most appropriate to the project.

For further information contact: www.precaststructures.com or 01453 820960.