Birmingham Children's Hospital -
Medical Assessment & High Dependency Unit

Birmingham Children's Hospital, Queensway, Birmingham
The project involved relocating the existing Medical Assessment Unit (MAU) and High Dependency Unit (HDU)departments into a purpose-built area, revitalizing one of the main elevations of the hospital and enhancing a prominent route into the city. The new facility includes single patient rooms, two small multi-bed areas, treatment rooms, various staff facilities, a parent waiting area, and all necessary toilet and shower facilities. Externally, the new bays feature green metal cladding panels with an integrated cladding and glazing façade facing the Aston Expressway. The two projecting pods cantilever over the footpath below, extending towards the Expressway. These bays follow the style of the existing Cancer Care Centre, creating a unified appearance while providing the additional space required. The main façade showcases an irregular green and white pattern with scattered areas of glazing within the cladding structure. This design intentionally minimizes the focus on the windows, allowing patients privacy while ensuring natural illumination.
Internally, the layout was designed to be engaging for patients, utilizing curved corridor walls, colourful finishes, and graphics suitable for children. Given the importance of supervision, each room includes extensive glazing onto the corridors, and storage is innovatively incorporated behind the curved walls. The project successfully accommodates an important department within the hospital, serving as a vital extension to the existing A&E. The distinctive projecting bays not only achieve an extensive accommodation schedule but also provide an interesting feature to the façade, while ensuring patient privacy. Notably, the project was shortlisted for the2014 AJ Retrofit Awards in the Health category, being one of only four projects recognized nationwide in the Health Sector. This development not only meets the functional needs of the hospital but also contributes to the overall aesthetic and operational efficiency of the healthcare facility.
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