Field hospitals: rainbows and dragons

Across Wales stadiums, ice rinks and student sports centres are being converted to help support the NHS as construction unites to deliver critical care facilities to respond to the COVID19 crisis. We celebrate some of those stories here

Right across the UK we are seeing that the construction industry responding brilliantly to the COVID-19 crisis. Putting aside any of the worries and concerns about the SOPs, we need to applaud the designers, planners, engineers, technicians and builders on sites across the country in delivering field hospitals from scratch or refurbishing an upgrading existing facilities to create bespoke units providing critical care services. The stats around some of these schemes is mind boggling. In fact, we are still finding out about details of jobs and we know from conversations in the media that the speed and scope of the work is at such a level that in many cases no one is fully aware of how many organisations are involved.

Building Magazine is trying to put together a definitive list of firms and projects and is well aware that it won’t cover everyone. We want to do our bit by celebrating the projects and organisations working 24/7 in Wales to deliver superb schemes critical to the NHS and the country. But we know we might miss some people out. We have focussed on the Dragon Heart field hospital in Cardiff in one story but we are aware of great work on Deeside and Bangor by VINCI, HE Simm, TACP alongside Flintshire Council delivering 1,000 beds and then teams from Mott MacDonald, Morgan Sindall and Andrew Scott have worked hard in South Wales too.

There are many more. Each scheme has demonstrated what can be done quickly if everyone works as a team. There are lessons to be learned and shared and we want to tell these stories and celebrate them. So, please email us details – if you share anything on social media please tag CEWales and we will RT and share.

Thank you.