Work to create one of the largest basements ever excavated in London is now complete.

At 28.5 metres deep, the hole dug by Bouygues and its specialist contractor McGee Group is large enough to contain the Royal Albert Hall.

Together with the Department of Health, NHS England is funding the development of two world class cancer treatment centres at The Christie in Manchester and University College London Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust (UCLH) Patients are due to be treated at The Christie from summer next year, with UCLH following in summer 2020. Once finished, each facility will treat up to 750 patients per year.

Key features of the excavation includes;

• The deepest point is 28.5 metres below ground and the basement measures 87 metres long by 67 metres wide.

• 80,000 cubic metres of ground has been removed from the site (equivalent to 640 London buses).

• With five storeys below ground and six above, the height of the building (including below ground) is 57 metres, making it equivalent to London's Tower Bridge.

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As part of the project, below ground there will be:

• A multi-storey gantries for the proton beam therapy equipment

• Two Mechanical and Electrical plant levels

• Two floors for patient proton beam therapy care

• Eight surgical theatres

Overall, 300 people have been involved in the excavation. A total of 3,000 will be involved in the projects overall construction.

Key partners include:

• Scott Tallon Walker Architects, architect and lead consultant

• Campbell Reith, structural, civil, geotechnical and environmental engineering consultants

• WSP, leading the mechanical, electrical, and plumbing design and the interface with the different contractors

• McGee, responsible for the bulk excavation and main propping of the centre

• Fayat Piling Ltd, responsible for the piling and diaphragm wall of the centre

• Reach Active Ltd , responsible for all service diversions and utilities

Fabienne Viala, Chairman of Bouygues UK, said: "This is exactly the kind of project we relish. The complexity of undertaking London's biggest excavation within a tight site at the heart of central London enables us to add value through our technical knowledge and the infrastructure expertise of our colleagues within Bouygues Travaux Publics.

"This is no ordinary project: as well as being an innovative and complex build, the finished development will have the potential to improve and even save the lives of those suffering with blood disorders and complex cancers."

(LM/MH)