HCP Radiant Heating Panels Installed at Basildon Hospital's New CTC

The completion of a new £60m Cardiothoracic Centre (CTC) at Basildon Hospital means that patients in Essex will no longer have to travel to London to undergo treatment. Housed in a new four-storey building at Basildon and Thurrock University Hospital it will act as a centre of excellence and the hub of a new network of cardiac services across the county.

Ceiling mounted Radiant Heating panels from HCP, a division of SAS International, were chosen for the project as they offer a discrete heating solution, which frees up valuable floor space. Importantly in this type of environment they are also easy to clean, have a long life-cycle, and unlike other heating methods, have not been linked to the spread of diseases such as Legionnaires’ Disease.

Architects Nightingale Associates recognised this as a space saving and hygienic solution: “Our client was keen to ensure that we maximised the use of floor space. Of particular concern to them was where desks and computers abutted radiators. They felt this used up valuable space and also made cleaning more difficult. The current focus on infection control within hospitals combined with the space requirement was a key driver to us selecting radiant panels as a heating solution for this scheme.” commented Graham Harris from Nightingale Associates.

Featuring throughout all four floors of the Centre, the panels range from 600mm to 6 metres in length. Radiant Heating panels have been used in the ward areas, offices, meeting rooms, reception areas and corridors.

Along with integrating into suspended ceiling systems, some panels were also integrated within plain plasterboard ceilings. In order to provide essential maintenance access to pipework and valves for these panels, HCP manufactured flush fitting access plates.

HCP Radiant Heating panels are manufactured from aluminium and copper and are 100% recyclable. They contain approximately one seventh the amount of water in a traditional radiator system, which results in a reduction in plant size and energy consumption.

Planned maintenance of the product is minimal due to the lack of moving parts within the panel. This means that regular maintenance work will have little impact on either the building’s occupants or the Trust.

The state-of-the-art CTC includes over 100 beds, a critical care unit, specialist theatres for heart and other major chest surgery, laboratories and overnight facilities for relatives. The CTC has just been handed over to this NHS Trust.

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