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Asia

Ulster Hospital

Award-winning £250m major acute hospital serving the Belfast area.
Front exterior of modern hospital

Location

Belfast, United Kingdom

Client

Health Estates

Architect

Avanti Architects

Kennedy Fitzgerald

The 30,000m2, seven storey inpatient ward block comprises of 288 en-suite bedrooms within 12 inpatient wards, four operating theaters, endoscopy, angiography, cardiac and a pharmacy department. The acute services block, of similar size, comprises 213 en-suite bedrooms within nine inpatient wards, A&E, medical, stroke, renal, nuclear medicine and an imaging department.

Both buildings adopt the same design principles of generously planned, light-filled spaces offering pleasant external views, providing a safe and therapeutic environment for patients, staff and visitors. The ASB building is located adjacent to the IWB building (completed in 2017) and is connected to the surrounding hospital by a series of glazed links, which border generously landscaped courtyards where colour and artwork define each space.

Yvonne McNally, Associate, commented "This redevelopment addressed a real need for the greater Belfast area, replacing an earlier 1960s building. The project featured a significant upgrade of site infrastructure and provision of temporary plant required to enable the proposed phasing. The building is fully mechanically ventilated with heating and cooling via active chilled beams including a complex aseptic pharmacy, independently validated to MHRA requirements."

Key fact

Access to natural light befitted the patients and working environments.

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Key fact

Early engagement with the client team allowed a full-scale mock-up of the bedrooms to be constructed.

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Key fact

New links will be formed between the buildings and the existing outpatient hospital.

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Yvonne McNally with white building and grass background

Yvonne McNally

Associate, Sustainability

View bio

Our energy strategy for the site followed a “semi-central” approach with individual buildings containing a dedicated boiler, generator and substation.

Awards

Winner

Best Healthcare Infrastructure Award & Overall Award

CEF Awards

Highly Commended

Best Acute Hospital Development

Building Better Healthcare Awards

Winner

Best External Environment

Building Better Healthcare Awards

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