9 January 2019
Moorfields Eye Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, UCL and Moorfields Eye Charity are pleased to announce that AECOM with Penoyre & Prasad and White Arkitekter have been appointed to design our proposed new centre for eye care, research and education.
This appointment follows a comprehensive, six-month long competition process led by the Royal Institute of British Architects.
David Probert, Chief Executive of Moorfields Eye Hospital NHS Foundation Trust said:
“It was a privilege to be on the evaluation panel of the five shortlisted design teams for Oriel. The quality of all entries was extremely high.
“AECOM’s award-winning team was selected due to its exemplary innovation and creativity, outstanding design quality, and previous experience in delivering health, research and education facilities across the UK.
“It has been a huge few months for this innovative and exciting project, with Moorfields recently securing a substantial amount of funding from the Department of Health and Social Care.
I look forward to working with AECOM, Penoyre & Prasad and White Arkitekter as this project progresses.”
Dale Sinclair, Director of Technical Practice – Europe, Middle East and Africa from AECOM said:
“AECOM is excited to be leading this experienced team of architects, engineers and specialists, who have a collective track record of delivering high-quality healthcare environments across the world. Together with Penoyre & Prasad and White Arkitekter we will work with the joint partners, patients and staff to design a world-class facility that will help shape the future of eye care, research and education.
“Our design for the proposed facility is focused on maximising collaboration and knowledge exchange, with an ‘oriel’ at the building’s centre enabling greater interaction between patients, clinicians and researchers. The facility’s public spaces would create a new urban realm that will connect seamlessly with the ongoing renaissance of the King’s Cross area of London.”
The AECOM-led team will now be working closely with Oriel’s project team to produce concept designs for this proposed new facility. Staff and patients will have opportunities in the coming months to input on these initial design elements. This work will inform the project’s upcoming Outline Business Case.
Oriel is a joint proposal from Moorfields Eye Hospital, UCL and Moorfields Eye Charity to relocate all services from Moorfields Eye Hospital on City Road and the UCL Institute of Ophthalmology on Bath Street to a new, purpose built facility at a preferred site at St Pancras Hospital. This proposal will be subject to a public consultation with patients, families, carers and our local communities.
This new facility would bring together clinical care, research and education expertise in one flexible, fully integrated facility, while being focused on patients and attracting and retaining the best clinicians, scientists and educators.
In 2019, Camden CCG on behalf of Islington CCG (our coordinating commissioner) willlead a public consultation on the relocation of NHS services from Moorfields Eye Hospital to the proposed new site, so that patients, residents and staff will have an opportunity to have their say on the proposal.
If approved, the new facility could be open to patients in 2025/26.
Notes to editors
For media enquiries, please contact the Moorfields Eye Hospital press office:
Email: press.office@moorfields.nhs.uk
Phone: 020 7566 2628 (for out of hours please call 020 7253 3411)
About Oriel:
In December, Moorfields announced that it has successfully bid for government funding to support Oriel.
Moorfields has managed to secure nearly £20 million of funding as part of the Department of Health and Social Care’s major investment in the long-term future of the NHS.
RIBA launched this competition in June 2018, encouraging architect and design teams from around the world to apply.
In August 2018, five shortlisted teams were announced. These teams produced preliminary designs, which were presented to stakeholders, staff and patients at a series of exhibitions.
An evaluation panel comprising 12 representatives from Moorfields, UCL, Moorfields Eye Charity and RIBA selected the AECOM as the winning team based on set criteria.
Oriel is a proposal from Moorfields Eye Hospital, UCL and Moorfields Eye Charity to design, build and operate a new, purpose-built centre of excellence for eye care, research and education.
Moorfields’ vision for Oriel is to create an environment for innovation to flourish, inspiring improvements in people’s sight. The new facility will be flexible and modern, enabling Moorfields to bring together healthcare, eye research and education for the first time.
The new centre would also be nearby other important health and research institutes such as UCLH, Great Ormond Street Hospital, UCL and the new Francis Crick Institute, making Oriel part of an emerging scientific hub.
About Moorfields Eye Hospital NHS Foundation Trust:
Moorfields Eye Hospital NHS Foundation Trustis one of the world’s leading eye hospitals, providing expertise in clinical care, research and education. It has provided excellence in eye care for more than 200 years and continues to be at the forefront of new breakthroughs and developments. In 2017/18 Moorfields saw more than half a million patients in their outpatient services and provided care to nearly 100,000 people in their specialist A&E department. For more information, visit www.moorfields.nhs.uk.
About UCL Institute of Ophthalmology:
The UCL Institute of Ophthalmology is one of a number of specialised biomedical research centres within UCL. We conduct cutting-edge science, attracting research workers of the highest international calibre. In recognition of the Institute’s international standing, the most recent HEFCE (Higher Education Funding Council for England) Research Evaluation Framework exercise confirmed the outstanding quality of research carried out at the Institute. According to the 2017 Centre for World University Rankings, UCL is the best place in the world to study ophthalmology. For further information go to: https://www.ucl.ac.uk/ioo/
About Moorfields Eye Charity:
Moorfields Eye Charity supports the work of Moorfields Eye Hospital and its research partner, the UCL Institute of Ophthalmology, making a difference for patients at the hospital and for people with sight problems around the world. It provides grants and raises money to help the hospital provide the best possible care for its patients, educate the researchers and clinicians of tomorrow and support cutting-edge research that aims to develop new treatments for blinding diseases. To find out more go to:
www.moorfieldseyecharity.org.uk
About the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA):
RIBA is a global professional membership body that serves its members and society in order to deliver better buildings and places, stronger communities and a sustainable environment.
Follow @RIBA on Twitter for regular updates
About AECOM:
AECOM is built to deliver a better world. We design, build, finance and operate critical infrastructure assets for governments, businesses and organisations. As a fully integrated firm, we connect knowledge and experience across our global network of experts to help clients solve their most complex challenges. From high-performance buildings and infrastructure, to resilient communities and environments, to stable and secure nations, our work is transformative, differentiated and vital. A Fortune 500 firm, AECOM had revenue of approximately $20.2 billion during fiscal year 2018. See how we deliver what others can only imagine at aecom.com and @AECOM.
About Penoyre & Prasad:
Penoyre & Prasad is a London based architecture studio working across the UK and internationally. Over 30 years we have developed a distinctive design approach which results in functional, beautiful and sustainable buildings. Sensitive to context and agile in our thinking, we create designs that are a catalyst for change. Our work enables our clients to achieve their ambitions and makes life better for building users. Following innovations in healthcare, we were amongst the pioneers of patient focused design. Through immersing our skilled team in our client’s world, we gain a deep and collaborative understanding of how buildings are experienced by people, and respond with intelligence, integrity and imagination.
About White Arkitekter:
White Arkitekter was founded by Sidney White in 1951 and is Scandinavia’s leading architectural firm with 900 employees working in 13 offices in Sweden, Denmark, Norway and the UK. Our work is research focused and our expertise encompasses architecture, urban design, landscape architecture and interior design. For nearly two decades, White has invested in establishing a unique research-based organisation of highly qualified experts in the field of sustainable design. Our founder’s aim was to improve society through architecture and his legacy lives on in our ambition to contribute towards the building of a sustainable world.
www.whitearkitekter.com