The New Children’s Hospital

In recent years, there have been significant moves to improve Ireland’s healthcare, and specifically to transition towards a new model of care for pediatric services. The New Children’s Hospital in Dublin is the largest healthcare investment project ever undertaken in the state. The ultimate objective of the project is to improve the health of children and young people, and in order to achieve this the design team was set the goal by the National Paediatric Hospital Development Board to create 'one of the finest children’s hospitals in the world'. This recognizes the importance that the building itself can play in supporting the work of clinicians, with the intention to break with the institutional mold of traditional hospital designs and create an innovative environment – one that not only meets the highest clinical standards but is also uplifting, engaging, and child and family-centered.  

The impressive facility will boast considerable resources, including 380 single-occupancy inpatient bedrooms (of which 60 are critical care beds), 93 daybeds, an emergency department, operating theatres, a family resource center, outpatient departments, hospital school, education facilities, therapy areas, staff and visitor canteen, pharmacy, pathology department, public and staff circulation areas, plant and related support, and service areas. In addition, there will be extensive site clearance works, which include the demolition of existing buildings on the campus, as well as considerable infrastructural works on and around the site. 

Linesight has been engaged to provide a full range of quantity surveying services on the project. 

Extensive stakeholder consultation

The concept of the building form and layout itself has evolved from extensive dialogue with many stakeholders. The team engaged and consulted extensively with staff from the three existing children’s hospitals, with families, young people and children who are former or current users of the service, and with local residents and businesses. This extensive consultation process allowed the design team to develop a world-class building, which has been designed to enable staff deliver the highest standard of clinical care for children and young people.  

The project works commenced on site in August 2017 and currently the work to the substructure/basement and car park are well advanced with works to the main building commenced in early 2019.

Merging of existing hospitals

Once complete the new children’s hospital will be heralded as a world-class facility for children and young people from all over Ireland, who have complicated and serious illnesses and are in need of specialist and complex care. The hospital will bring together three children’s hospitals: Our Lady’s Children’s Hospital Crumlin, Temple Street Children’s University Hospital and the National Children’s Hospital at Tallaght. 

Utilizing effective systems and technologies

Linesight is a strong advocate for the implementation of BIM and its considerable benefits for clients on large scale construction projects. The New Children’s Hospital is a BIM Level 2 project and the Linesight team is fully utilizing the BIM models, which have been developed to provide added value to the delivery of Cost Management service on the project.

Program delivery on an acute hospital campus

Full hospital services continue throughout the project, so it is imperative that works are appropriately coordinated, in order to cause minimal disruption. The safety of staff, patients, and visitors is paramount, and this remains a key consideration throughout the program. Extensive excavation, diversion of major services and substructure works have been successfully undertaken to date.