The Midland Metropolitan Hospital bridges are going up!

Activity picked up on site in early November as works continue on site, and the steel structure of the Winter Garden is raised.

The assembly of the winter garden’s prefabricated structure restarted at the beginning of November. After months sitting on site ready to be assembled, the public bridges which will connect the two lift cores are finally being installed. With a span of more than 30 metres, and raised up at the 5th floor, these bridges will connect the three ward “fingers”, crossing the open atrium of the Winter Garden with views over Smethwick towards Birmingham.

The virtually column-free roof structure between the ward fingers is now complete, and half of the ETFE inflatable cushions - the transparent, inclined façade - are already in place. The link bridges were hung from the steel cores in mid-November, and by the end of the month, the installation of the 30 metre long trusses for the south-facing, sloped roof will commence.

The Winter Garden is at the heart of Edward Williams Architect’s designs for MMH: a soaring, light-filled space the size of a cricket pitch for the whole hospital community to take time away, meet in a calm environment, and even see an exhibition or event.

Edward Williams Architects is the Architectural Design Lead, working with HKS the Architectural Project Lead and Sonnemann Toon Architects the Architectural Clinical Lead, to deliver the state-of-the-art Midland Metropolitan Hospital for Sandwell and West Birmingham NHS Trust by 2022. The new hospital will set the standard for acute and emergency healthcare facilities across the country, and is set to be the largest of its kind in Europe.