Where the nuts go to…

…and the bolts, and the structural steel and the cladding services and so on. This is the story of Coseley Engineering’s 41 unit contract to provide the buildings for a medical service for the newly developing state of Amazonas in Brazil.

Brazil has in recent years celebrated the 1 50th anniversary of her independence from Portugal and with her growing ex­ports, notably of sugar and coffee, she is increasingly making her presence felt in world markets.

The prosperity resulting from this in­creased world trade has allowed the Government to meet the cost of a wide range of domestic developments. These include the big new Transamazon high­way system through the hitherto im­penetrable Amazonian jungle and a complete health infrastructure for the State of Amazonas.

Amazonas is the largest State of Brazil, covering an area equal to the whole of Europe. It is covered by dense humid rain forests through which runs the largest river system in the world, based on the 6,500 km long river Amazon.

With a population of one million, 300,000 of whom live in and around the State Capital Manaus, Amazonas is sparsely populated. Herein lies one of the major obstacles to the provision of a viable health service.

Investigations show that health facilities in the interior are grossly inadequate, primarily dependent on the services of a few missionaries. Water supply, sanita­tion and living standards in general are unhygienic and no facilities exist for the education of the population in the re­quirements for a basic health standard and the prevention of disease.

It is against this background of immense forests, enormous distances and lack of communication that the State Govern­ment gave its attention and resources towards the provision of a health infra­structure for the interior.

Because of the size of Amazonas and the dispersed nature of the few villages and towns, the first planning step was to divide the State into a convenient number of zones. Each zone was then provided with a graduated system of facilities ranging from peripheral units serving small outlying communities containing modern sophisticated equip­ment.

The river provides the only practical means of travel through the dense jungle so sites for the health buildings were almost invariably fixed on the banks of the Amazon.

Brazil is a relatively fast growing country within a continent which is itself growing very fast by world standards. And al­though the Government has an impres­sive list of programmes to combat present deficiencies in housing, education and health it has so far been unable to achieve a rate of construction which matches population increases. This is due in part to a shortage of skilled tradesmen and materials.

To overcome the shortages of labour and materials – the latter becomes more acute as the more remote areas are penetrated – prefabricated buildings were chosen for the hospital buildings.

The chosen contractors, Coseley Build­ings Limited erected a prototype building on their premises in Wolverhampton and invited a party of experts from Brazil to visit and examine equipment and discuss the scheme fully with the project team.

Impressed with what they had seen and influenced by the record of achievement set by this British company in worldwide construction, the Brazilian Government finalised arrangements with Coseley for the supply of fully equipped hospital units to be located on 44 sites through­out Amazonas. The schedule of facilities to be provided and dispersed around the zones included 7 hospital units, 24 health centres, 13 outpatient/emergency units and 25 doctors houses.

All the buildings, which are single storey, steel framed, with profiled metal cladding wue prefabricated in Wolverhampton and shipped out together with medical equipment, furniture, and fittings, in con­signments matched to the appropriate health zones.

The major hospital units include operat­ing theatres, obstetric wards, radiography rooms, laboratories and outpatients de­partments as well as kitchens, staff canteen and administration block.

The first unit was built in Manaus well in advance of the main construction programme and the Bazilian foremen who, in conjunction with a team of Coseley engineers, were to supervise construction, were instructed in the necessary techniques. In addition to this training programme, instruction manuals printed in both Portuguese and English were supplied.

Whilst this training programme was in progress the delivery of the buildings and equipment destined for sites remote from Manaus was being made by river barge. Unloading was made particularly difficult due to the seasonal rise and fall of the water level, which can be as much as 60ft., combined with the absence of mechanical lifting gear.

Coseley engineers used light amphibious aircraft to enable frequent visits to the many sites to ensure satisfactory build­ing progress. Once the foundations had been prepared it was a simple matter to erect .the steel framework without the use of ,heavy lifting gear. All the parts which simply required bolting together were marked for easy identification and step by step instructions were contained in the specially prepared erection manual. The cladding sheets and thermal insulation material also simply bolt on to the steel framework.

All furniture and fitted units were sup­plied in knock down form to be as­sembled in accordance with instructions and drawings. Prefabricated plumbing and electrical kits were supplied, once again to simplify installation.

Every building complex contains a water purification system supplied from its own elevated water storage tank and electri­cal generators are installed to supply the complete power requirements.

Basically these buildings are adaptations of designs which have been used all over the world in the construction of schools and hospitals. Designed specific­ally for use in the tropics they comply with the highest standards with regard to ventilation, insulation and protection against vermin and insects.

In the larger hospital units the doctor or consultant lives with his family in one of the houses provided within the hos­pital complex. The smaller units are under the control of a nurse who is assist­ed by locally recruited and trained staff. A flat is provided as short-stay accom­modation for a visiting doctor who will regularly visit several clinics within his zone.

From its conception this unique project presented a challenge. A challenge to administrative and technical skills, of communication and of transportation; but the scheme is now operable and the peoples of the interior have access to modern medicine and methods.

Coseley Buildings Limited have made a 16mm co)our film of this unique project and it is available on free loan by con­tacting the Public Relations Division at the head office in Wolverhampton.

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From Building with Steel, September 2024