THE ROYAL ALEXANDRA CHILDREN’S HOSPITAL

Brighton’s Royal Alexandria Children’s Hospital (RACH) opened in 2007 to provide a safe, child-oriented environment for the delivery of family-centred care.

This award-winning hospital houses all Brighton-based acute paediatric services, reducing the clinical and operational risks associated with transferring very sick children from A&E to diagnostic facilities and treatment areas. The £36m project, comprising 100 beds, three operating theatres, an intensive care unit, a cancer care day centre, parents’ accommodation and children’s play areas, retains a core focus on children, family and a sustainable community while delivering an innovative concept distinctly different to traditional hospital designs.

Known affectionately as the Children’s Ark due to its ‘boat-like’ design, the hospital incorporates Brighton’s maritime and nautical heritage, taking into account the local environment. A central atrium provides a heart to the design and a bright welcome. A sundeck play area commands panoramic views along Brighton’s seafront for the children.

The project was particularly challenging as it was constructed within a highly congested existing hospital site, immediately adjacent to operational healthcare facilities, requiring careful design, coordination, planning and implementation to minimise impact and to establish communication links and pathways between the new and old facilities.