Kier has officially handed over a major new clinical facility at Luton & Dunstable University Hospital to Bedfordshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, ahead of its formal opening later this year.

Delivered through the Crown Commercial Services framework, the £150 million development will significantly enhance healthcare services in Luton and the surrounding areas, offering modern facilities for both staff and patients.

The five-storey, 16,700m² building features state-of-the-art departments for maternity, neonatology, critical care, and theatre services. The new infrastructure includes eight operating theatres, providing increased surgical capacity and enabling older theatres to be repurposed. Two of the theatres are hybrid, capable of delivering both interventional and specialist procedures in a single space. Expanded critical care facilities and maternity wards offer increased bed and cot capacity, along with dedicated rooming-in spaces for parents and newborns.

Located on a highly constrained site adjacent to live hospital facilities, the construction was carefully managed to minimise disruption to ongoing clinical services. Kier worked closely with the Trust throughout the project to ensure continuity of care during the three-year build.

Sustainability was a core focus during construction, with Kier adopting off-site manufacturing and incorporating low-carbon concrete in the building’s frame and floor slabs to reduce environmental impact and improve resource efficiency.

The project also delivered substantial social value. In partnership with the NHS Trust, local authorities, education providers, and schools, Kier generated over £81 million in social value contributions. This included more than 1,000 apprenticeship weeks and over 1,000 hours of community volunteering.

Building, Design & Construction Magazine | The Choice of Industry Professionals