As the climate crisis intensifies, the need for sustainable healthcare facilities to support growing demand is becoming more vital than ever. Dan Allison, divisional director of Premier Modular, explores how modular construction can aid in decarbonising the health sector
Climate change and human health are two sides of the same coin. The rising production of greenhouse gas emissions is exacerbating health risks to people all around the globe by increasing exposure to extreme weather events, contributing to higher rates of noncommunicable diseases, and destabilising healthcare systems.
With the UK's health sector already under pressure due to high demand, evident in the record-high waiting list of 7.47m for NHS England services, it is in the interests of NHS Trusts and healthcare organisations to build greener buildings and improve the nation's health.
Transforming the way facilities are built and run is a crucial starting point, and one which is already achievable through modular construction.
Healthcare services contribute up to 5% of the UK's total carbon emissions
NHS England is accountable for 40 percent of the public sector's emissions alone. This means that in 2022, NHS England generated approximately 3.04 metric tonnes of carbon dioxide.
If the organisation is to reach its carbon neutrality target by 2040, it is pivotal that a greener approach to healthcare, including prioritising energy efficiency in the production of hospitals and other healthcare buildings, is adopted.
Modular construction provides a realistic solution to this challenge, offering fast, sustainable and quality-controlled structures without compromising building performance.
As the modular construction market moves toward a projected $544.4bn in 2030, and the squeeze of patient backlogs and staff shortages continues to hamper the UK's health sector, the opportunity modular solutions provide should not be overlooked.
How can modular construction aid in decarbonising the health sector?
The construction industry is notoriously a polluting heavyweight, with the UK's built environment responsible for around one-quarter of the nation's greenhouse gas emissions.
This is largely due to the industry's reliance on carbon-intensive materials such as bricks and concrete, high volumes of waste and the transportation of supplies and personnel. Fortunately, modular solutions and other modern methods of construction are rapidly changing and challenging this narrative.
This is because building components are manufactured offsite, inside a controlled factory environment. Such efficiency immediately cuts down vehicle movements by limiting the number of personnel needed to produce the facility, therefore reducing site activities.
A report published by manufacturing organisation, Make UK, revealed that modular construction requires around 80 percent fewer vehicle movements than traditional construction.
This has a significant impact, not just in terms of greenhouse gas emissions, but for local communities and the environment surrounding a given site.
Lower transportation means less localised pollution which in turn minimises the disruption caused to human health as well as biodiversity.
The sustainable procurement and use of materials is another advantage of modular construction
Timber, light-gauged steel and other responsibly sourced materials are the foundation of modular building and help to reduce the carbon footprint of the end products.
Timber in particular is an extremely important resource, as it is not only renewable, but can also store large amounts of carbon. The significance and impact of this material is so great that the government launched its Timber in Construction (TiC) Innovation Fund in 2022 to encourage widespread use of it across the construction industry.
Precision manufacturing offsite, a process whereby a building's components are produced to exacting specifications by state-of-the-art machinery, is equally responsible for modular construction's green credentials.
The chance of human error is minimised in Premier Modular's highly controlled environment where precise amounts of materials are used and any offcuts are either recycled (66%) or used for energy to ensure zero waste goes to landfill.
Specialist facilities delivered sustainably
In the wake of the NHS' 75th anniversary in July, the organisation's requirement for high calibre, energy-efficient facilities was put under the spotlight. The government has promised to deliver 40 new hospitals which will make use of the latest digital innovations, technology and sustainability features to improve the experiences of patients and staff alike by 2030.
Such facilities will be crucial to the sector's ability to cope with future demand, particularly given the UK's aging population and growing complexity of healthcare needs. In light of this and the intensification of the climate crisis, it is key that organisations prioritise the most sustainable route to procuring and constructing new buildings.
Modular solutions are ideal because they guarantee energy efficiency and can be easily tailored to meet necessary healthcare standards.
Modular solutions can rapidly boost patient capacity
An example of this is the four-storey outpatient facility Premier Modular manufactured and installed for King's College Hospital. Designed to rapidly boost patient capacity, the permanent modular solution provided a secure building envelope for improved air impermeability, designed to reduce heat loss and maintain a stable internal temperature.
The benefits of this are two-fold as the envelope provides a highly clinical environment whilst simultaneously minimising energy costs. Reinforced with high levels of insulation, this building seal is key for medical facilities including the neurosurgery and procedure rooms installed in the outpatient facility, which necessitate highly controlled conditions.
Furthermore, the design flexibility of modular construction helps organisations to improve the operational carbon of new buildings – meaning the carbon emissions generated through the management and use of a facility through the integration of clean, lean, and green technologies.
This was achieved in the outpatient facility for King's College Hospital which featured photovoltaic panels, a green roof, a radiant panel system powered by air source heat pumps and LED lighting that includes daylight dimming controls for rooms that have natural daylight.
Such technologies are crucial for future-proofing hospitals and other healthcare facilities, allowing them to manage and produce energy, as well as reduce overuse. The impact of these measures decreased regulated carbon emissions associated with the building by almost 50 percent.
Reinforcing the future of healthcare
Restricted budgets are one of the greatest barriers to sustainability in the health sector. With NHS Trusts and healthcare organisations juggling several priorities at once, finding funding for energy-efficient facilities is often pushed down the agenda.
Whether they are provided on a temporary or permanent basis, modular solutions can help to relieve these financial pressures by enabling payments to be made incrementally, over a long period of time.
This was the case with another of Premier Modular's projects for North Middlesex University Hospital Trust, who required a 20-bed ward facility to regulate patient flow during the pandemic and winter months.
Completed in just 16 weeks, the building was leased to the Trust over 18 months, providing high-specification recovery facilities in a way that accommodated the Trust's budget.
This kind of financial flexibility helps healthcare organisations amid real-terms budget cuts and as geopolitical unrest wreaks havoc on the world economy.
With climate change threatening to put health at risk and undermine healthcare infrastructure, it is essential that the sector has access to the expertise required to build affordable, sustainable facilities. Such insight will fundamentally enable a high standard of care that is energy-efficient in its operation.
Original source: Decarbonising the health sector with modular construction (pbctoday.co.uk)
