NDDH - Delivering Certainty Through Hybrid Living, DfMA, and Digital Coordination

Healthcare accommodation is becoming increasingly complex, placing greater pressure on programme certainty, coordination and buildability.

At North Devon District Hospital, the new staff and student accommodation is being delivered in collaboration with main contractor BAM through PCE’s Hybrid Living structural system - embedding Design for Manufacture and Assembly (DfMA) within Modern Methods of Construction (MMC) to create a more predictable and efficient delivery process. The Taw View residences have been funded through the government’s New Hospital Programme and will provide 120 en-suite bedrooms, including four fully accessible family apartments and six single fully accessible rooms, with shared kitchen, living and dining spaces alongside various amenity spaces.

Designing out complexity before it reaches site

The biggest inefficiencies on complex projects are rarely created on site, they originate earlier through fragmented coordination and late-stage design resolution.

Using a BIM Level 2 aligned digital environment, the project integrates structure, façade and MEP coordination from the outset, enabling:

• Early clash detection and resolution
• Manufacture-ready design information
• Reduced on-site coordination risk
• Improved buildability and programme certainty

This is digital coordination as a delivery strategy, not simply a compliance exercise.

Offsite delivery driving programme certainty

The Hybrid Living system is built around a simple principle: complexity is easier to resolve in a controlled environment than on a live construction site.

By shifting key coordination and manufacturing activities offsite, the project benefits from:

• Streamlined design-to-manufacture workflows
• Reduced site interface risks
• Greater programme predictability
• Factory-controlled quality outcomes

Working closely with BAM and Grainge Architects, design intent and manufacturing strategy are aligned far earlier in the process, helping reduce variability during delivery.

By overlapping manufacturing preparation with late-stage design development, the project also demonstrates how offsite methodologies can accelerate the route from design to site without compromising quality.

Early engagement driving better outcomes

A defining feature of the project is the integration of design, manufacturing and construction expertise from the earliest stages.

This front-loaded approach enables better decisions earlier, reduces late-stage changes, and strengthens certainty throughout the programme.

The result is not simply a building system, but a more intelligent and repeatable approach to delivering healthcare accommodation.

Continuous improvement through delivery

Each Hybrid Living project contributes to the ongoing refinement of the system, improving:

• Design standardisation
• Manufacturing efficiency
• Coordination workflows
• DfMA integration across delivery

This creates a delivery model that becomes increasingly efficient and repeatable with every project completed.