This week, Building Better Healthcare visited Shawbury to tour the newly completed twin theatre, built this year to help hospitals increase surgical capacity and reduce backlogs.
“No matter where you are in the country, this modular operating theatre can be used,” Louis Sullivan, Head of Architecture at Darwin Group told Building Better Healthcare. “It is one of the most complex theatres we have ever built. We can immediately put this product in front of a client and determine if it’s the right solution for them.”
The twin theatre addresses the NHS’s urgent need for rapidly deployable surgical capacity, enabling more procedures to be performed simultaneously and helping to reduce patient waiting times.
Unlike traditional builds, which require long construction timelines and can disrupt hospital operations, the modular design can be delivered and installed in weeks.
Construction delays in the NHS don’t just hit budgets, every week of delay means fewer theatres, wards, or diagnostic facilities, which directly translates into longer waits for patients.
Modular solutions, like Darwin’s twin operating theatre, can plug that gap, helping trusts maintain momentum on care delivery while larger capital works are still underway.
The theatre can be installed as a standalone surgical hub or integrated into existing hospital infrastructure.
The modules can also be relocated or repurposed as demand shifts, providing long-term flexibility for hospitals.
Inside the twin operating theatre
The tour began with Sullivan presenting a 3D-printed model of the twin theatre.
The team develops digital twins of the theatre, allowing clients to explore the space virtually using VR headsets.
Inside the twin operating theatre is solid concrete flooring, designed for durability and easy cleaning while minimising vibrations that could affect surgical operations.
A sleek surgical canopy hangs above the operating area, fitted with high-intensity, shadow-free LED lights that can be precisely positioned.
Along the walls and floors, strategically placed power outlets and data ports ensure equipment can be safely connected without clutter.
Bright ultraclean sinks and large windows bring natural light and functionality, while the overall layout feels spacious and practical, designed to accommodate even the most complex procedures.
On-site assembly
Once the modules arrive from Darwin Group’s manufacturing facility, the site is prepared with a level foundation and utility connections.
The pre-fitted modules, already including floors, sinks, ventilation, lighting, and electrical systems, are craned into position and bolted together.
Internal systems are connected, surgical canopies and lighting installed, and final checks on power, ventilation, and medical gases ensure the theatres are fully operational.
This modular approach allows hospitals to gain ready-to-use theatres in weeks rather than months, with minimal disruption.
Even with the twin theatre complete, Sullivan emphasises that the work of planning and design is never truly finished.
“We know the demands of theatre space right now, but we don’t know what that will be in 10-15 years,” said Sullivan.
Surgical operations continue to evolve with robotics, digital tools, and augmented reality.
While the team can’t predict how surgical operations will change over the next 20-30 years, they ensure that the theatres can be adapted for future technologies and any type of operation.
