THE ROYAL ALEXANDRA
Brighton, UK
The Royal Alexandra Children’s Hospital is one of only seven dedicated paediatric hospitals in the UK. It is an 8 storey hospital designed to maximise space on a very tight site. A key component of the design is the central atrium, which binds all levels; delivering natural light and acting as a social hub. The objective of the fire strategy was to enable the architectural and operational ambitions for the hospital (which were markedly different from the standard FIRECODE solutions) and achieve best value for money. Furthermore, the construction of the hospital on a tight site required careful consideration to ensure the safety of the existing, operational, buildings. The RACH has been independently cited at international healthcare conferences as an exemplar hospital; where fire-engineering has been best used in hospital design.
- Reduced the number of stair cores from the guidance number of 4 to 2
- Development of a specialist smoke control system for the atrium that enabled the use of toughened glazing in the atrium facade, rather than the standard fire-resistant (Integrity and Insulation) glazing
- Enabled open accommodation within the atrium throughout its height
- Fire strategy fully coordinated with M&E design to minimise implications on smoke dampers, escape lighting & ventilation control
- Fire-engineered design for the smoke-shaft within each firefighting shaft, to create a better-value system
- Accounted for the effects of construction on the tight site, to ensure safety of the existing operational buildings during the RACH construction period
- Accounted for the multi-level connections of the RACH to adjacent buildings
Awards:
The Prime Minister's Better Public Building Award 2008, Design and Health Academy Award (Healthcare Design Project Award) 2007, Building Better Healthcare Award (Highly Commended — Best Designed Hospital and Winner, Best Client Team) 2007, Health Business Award (Hospital Building Award) 2007
