Architect chosen for £20m Alder Hey expansion

Cullinan Studio has been selected by Alder Hey Children’s NHS Foundation Trust to design a community cluster, at a contract value which could reach up to £20m, beating Allford Hall Monaghan Morris, Penoyre & Prasad, and Reiach & Hall.

Alder Hey plans to relocate eight departments in phases, including both clinical and non-clinical services, which are currently located across a number of buildings in the trust’s estate and across Liverpool.

The first phase would be the 26,000 sq ft Community Cluster to house two inpatient wards, three outpatient units, a school, and administrative support services.

The initial phase of the project has a total construction and design budget of £9m, and while the maximum potential contract value is £20m for all three phases, the trust has previously said funding “is not guaranteed” at present.

London-based Cullinan Studio was chosen following a competition run by the Royal Institute of British Architects. RIBA, Cullinan and Alder Hey declined to confirm the winner; a formal announcement is expected in the coming days.

Laing O’Rourke completed the BDP-designed £237m Alder Hey Hospital in 2015, and various other schemes are under way for additional facilities and homes on the surrounding site.

Although the studio lost out on the Community Cluster, last year AHMM was successful at securing the design brief for another project at Alder Hey, a £1m bereavement centre. The scheme will provide dedicated space for counselling and services for anyone affected by the death of a child. Construction is due to start on the 3,500 sq ft facility shortly.

AHMM’s winning proposal for the Bereavement Centre