Member Article

Public urged to vote for children’s MRI project at Leeds Hospital

People in Leeds are urged to back Children’s Hybrid Cardiac Theatre and Intraoperative MRI project at Leeds General Infirmary to win the Institution of Civil Engineers (ICE) People’s Choice Award, which celebrates the best civil engineering projects of the year that have made a positive impact for their local communities.

The MRIHCT facility at Leeds General Infirmary is a purpose-built cardiac hybrid theatre for undertaking complex heart procedures on children and young people with an intraoperative MRI facility for neurosurgery.

The intraoperative facility is a fourth-storey steel extension with no lower storeys extended, linked to the existing Clarendon Wing. This enables cardiac surgeons and cardiologists to work together during the same procedure, reducing treatment time and increasing the chances for young patients.

MRIHCT is competing against projects including the Northern Spire Bridge in Sunderland, the Shed cultural centre in New York City, and the Colwyn Bay Waterfront in Wales.

Penny Marshall, ICE Yorkshire and Humber Regional Director, said: “Civil engineering is all around us, making a difference to people’s lives every day. MRIHCT is a fantastic example of how civil engineers can change lives for people and their families. The hospital unit is a game-changer and some very clever engineering enabled it to be built without impacting on the rest of the hospital. This super project deserves to be recognised and the People’s Choice Award gives members of the community the perfect opportunity to celebrate how MRIHCT has made a difference.”

Chartered Structural Engineer and project lead for Mott MacDonald, Colin Riches said: “The ICE is the oldest professional engineering institution in the world and it’s therefore fantastic for us, the Trust and the city that the project has been shortlisted in the People’s Choice Awards, a prize that recognises the best civil engineering projects in the world.”

Voting will open on September 9, closing on September 27. All voters will be entered into a prize draw to win an Amazon Echo. The public can follow award updates on social media using #ICEPeopleschoice. The winning project will be revealed on 12 November.

In 2018, over 70,000 people around the world cast a vote for one of their favourite civil engineering projects, with the top prize going to the Kaik?ura earthquake recovery project in New Zealand. The project rebuilt 194 kilometres of road and 150 kilometres of rail, restoring links to isolated communities, following the damage caused by a 7.8 magnitude earthquake in November 2016.

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by News Gathering .