Work on the 10-storey children鈥檚 hospital is set to start immediately, now that it has been given the green light. It will have 155 beds, 10 operating theatres, and an emergency department capable of catering for up to 45,000 children per year.

Construction works are expected to take five years and cost 拢389 million, with the overall development worth 拢671 million.

A digital render of the new Northern Ireland Children鈥檚 Hospital (Image courtesy of Aecom)

In addition to architecture, Aecom is providing NEC project management, civil, structural, interior design, and landscape architectural services on the project.

BAM has already won the role of main contractor to build the hospital.

Trevor Leaker, head of architecture and design, UK & Ireland, Aecom, said: 鈥淭his state-of-the-art hospital is an important addition to Northern Ireland鈥檚 health estate, enabling the best-quality care possible while making a demonstrable contribution towards its ambitious sustainability goals. In line with its design and art strategy, the hospital has been shaped to fill the wards with natural daylight, with rooms sitting on the upper floors so children have views over the Belfast hills and beyond.

鈥淚t was essential that the design didn鈥檛 compromise on quality care, putting children and their families at the very heart of them. The internal spaces thoughtfully consider the diverse needs of children of all ages, incorporating a blend of calming, playful and age-appropriate environments that work together to foster a positive and healing environment for young patients.鈥�