Henry Wellcome Building – Birmingham Queen Elizabeth Hospital
Overview
The Henry Wellcome Building at Birmingham’s Queen Elizabeth Hospital houses a specialist research laboratory containing high powered magnets, each weighing approximately 7 tonnes. Bennett Architectural originally installed the building’s aluminium entrance screen in 2008 and, due to the highly specialised nature of the research equipment, we have continued to support the facility for more than 18 years.
The magnets periodically require removal and replacement as part of ongoing research and technology upgrades. Because of their extraordinary size and weight, the only viable access route is through the building’s main entrance façade — a façade originally designed and installed by Bennett Architectural.
Specialist Façade Access for Magnetic Research Laboratory Upgrades
Location: Queen Elizabeth Hospital, Birmingham
Original Bennett Architectural Installation: 2008
Scope: Repeated façade access works to remove and replace 7‑tonne MRI research magnets
The Challenge
Replacing 7‑tonne magnets within a live hospital environment presents multiple challenges:
- Extreme equipment size and weight, making standard access routes impossible
- Requirement to partially dismantle the main entrance screen
- Work within a highly controlled research environment
- Ensuring safety and structural integrity during removal and reinstatement
- Maintaining public and staff safety around a busy hospital entrance
- Reusing original façade components while ensuring they remain secure and compliant
These works are highly specialised and require precise planning, coordination, and engineering control.
Our Approach
Bennett Architectural has developed a repeatable, efficient, and safe method for enabling the removal and replacement of the laboratory magnets.
1. Careful Dismantling of the Entrance Screen
Each time a magnet requires replacement, our team:
- Removes specific sections of the aluminium entrance screen
- Ensures structural sections remain stable and supported
- Preserves reusable elements to maintain the original façade aesthetic
2. Facilitating Magnet Extraction & Installation
With the opening created, specialist lifting contractors transport the 7‑tonne magnet safely through the entrance.
Our role includes:
- Clearing the access route
- Ensuring all fixings and brackets are removed or protected
- Coordinating with hospital engineering teams and specialist movers
3. Reinstallation Using New Fixings Where Needed
After the new magnet is installed:
- The original screen sections are reinstated
- New brackets, seals, and fixings are used where required
- All elements are checked for security, alignment, and ongoing performance
- This ensures the façade remains structurally sound and visually unchanged after each procedure.
4. Long-Term Partnership
Bennett Architectural has completed this process multiple times over 18 years, providing consistent and reliable support for each new generation of research equipment.
Outcome
Through our continued involvement, we have helped the Henry Wellcome Building maintain:
- Safe and efficient access for the installation of 7‑tonne research magnets
- Preservation of the original façade, ensuring the building retains its design integrity
- Minimal disruption to hospital staff, patients, and research teams
- Long-term reliability using new brackets and fixings when required
- A trusted partnership between clinical research teams and Bennett Architectural’s specialist façade engineers
Our ongoing support plays a vital role in ensuring that the hospital’s research facilities remain cutting edge and operational.