Rossi Long Consulting provided Civil and Structural Engineering services for the new state-of-the-art Priscilla Bacon Lodge, replacing the existing facility at the Colman Hospital Site which opened in 1979.
The new development provides accommodation for 24 inpatient beds, and daycare facilities alongside a wellness centre and physio studio. The facility is located within a landscaped setting adjacent to the Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital campus offering specialist palliative and end-of-life care.
Following a carefully considered option appraisal of various construction methods and materials, the final scheme adopted a hybrid design. The daycare centre and well-being unit comprise a two-storey steel framed structure with precast concrete upper floor. The linked inpatient unit is a traditional loadbearing masonry single storey wing with a gangnailed trussed rafter roof.
Significant site crossfall and large diameter deep concrete surface water culvert serving the A47 Southern Bypass required early engineering design input in terms of building location and levels.
The site development was restricted by overland surface water flows towards the eastern aspect of the site. This zone stagnated any building development in this area. Due consideration was given to the surface water drainage strategy to avoid possible surcharging of the designed infiltration devices.
During the concept stage of the project, we considered various building orientations, positions, and levels in conjunction with the architect. Our early input in this respect minimised the impact of the existing culvert crossing the site on building foundations. Repositioning of the building and utilisation of the site slope allowed a significant reduction in soil removal from the site.
Where impermeable roads discharged surface water to high-level infiltration devices, baffle paving was adopted to utilise Sustainable Urban Drainage (SuDS) techniques. Roof water was collected with discharge to a large infiltration basin located within the eight acres of landscaped gardens. This basin avoided the additional costs of below ground infiltration units and habitat improvement for wildlife.
Foul water discharge was limited to a very low rate and required a private pump station with flow control devices to achieve this design constraint.