London – A new critical care centre at a major teaching hospital features spray polyurethane foam from BASF to provide thermal insulation.
The new centre is at King’s College Hospital in south London. The Critical Care Centre project cost £68m ($90 m) and incorporates spray polyurethane foam as a critical component.
The new centre is in a converted space above an existing theatre block in a busy working hospital.
Before it was converted, the space featured an uninsulated steel ceiling, which formed the floor of an unheated plant room above. The only way that the plant room could be insulated was from below.
This led to the use of spray foam, which was applied to the 1700 m2 ceiling at a depth of 155 mm. This was sprayed from below onto the underside of the irregular shaped corrugated sheeting. The material has Class 0 fire rating.
BASF supplied the materials, and Spray Foam Solutions, of Rugby, UK applied it. Both companies are members of the British Urethane Foam Contractors Association (BUCFA), the UK national trade association for the spray foam industry.
Depending on the depth, insulation with K-values between 0.025 to 0.028W/mK can be sprayed, said BUCFA.
The hospital is using the new space to improve the way it cares for the most seriously ill and injured. Each year facility provides critical care for over 3,600 people.
