Construction begins on transformative children's cancer centre at Great Ormond Street Hospital
Construction has officially begun on the landmark Children’s Cancer Centre (CCC) at Great Ormond Street Hospital for Children (GOSH), marking a major milestone in the hospital’s transformation.
BDP, a longstanding multidisciplinary design partner to the Trust, is leading the architectural, landscape, engineering and planning design of the new facility – one of the most ambitious projects in the hospital’s history.
This new phase follows four months of complex deconstruction works and will see principal contractor Sisk begin the main construction programme, starting with excavation and basement works, before progressing above ground to deliver a world-leading centre for paediatric cancer care.
BDP’s appointment to design the CCC builds on an enduring partnership with the Trust that began in 2014, when the practice was first appointed to lead a masterplanning study for the site. The team subsequently won the design competition for the Children’s Cancer Centre in 2017 and has since worked closely with the hospital and GOSH Charity to bring the vision to life.
The new CCC will provide 20% more capacity, digitally advanced inpatient wards, new surgical theatres and intensive care facilities, a bespoke hospital school and a new main entrance for the entire hospital. The centre will house all cancer services under one roof, enabling joined-up care across the patient journey, and has been shaped by extensive consultation with patients, families, clinicians and staff.
“This moment represents the culmination of a unique, long-term collaboration. We’ve worked alongside Great Ormond Street Hospital for more than a decade, helping to shape the masterplan for the estate and bring forward transformative, patient-focused buildings. The Children’s Cancer Centre is the most ambitious to date – a purpose-built facility that will allow specialist teams to deliver world-class care and research under one roof. Our multidisciplinary team of architects, landscape architects, planners, healthcare strategists, engineers and more, have worked together from the outset to ensure this project is cohesive, clinically excellent and emotionally supportive for children and families. To see construction now underway is incredibly rewarding for us all.”
The design approach for the CCC was informed by BDP’s engagement with GOSH’s Young People’s Forum. Themes of nature, home and play were key inspirations behind the concept of ‘House and Garden’ – a sensitive, human-scale design that prioritises daylight, calmness and connectivity to outdoor spaces. A rooftop garden, a welcoming new entrance, and spaces designed to reduce anxiety are central to the experience of care.
The Children’s Cancer Centre is part of GOSH Charity’s Build it. Beat it. appeal, which aims to raise £300m to help fund the facility and accelerate progress in paediatric cancer care.
To find out more about the appeal, visit www.gosh.org/builditbeatit
Further Reading
Great Ormond Street Hospital for Children
BDP has been overseeing the phased redevelopment of Great Ormond Street Hospital in Bloomsbury, London.
The Hospital in The Garden
Great Ormond Street Hospital (GOSH) has been a beacon of paediatric care since it was founded by Dr Charles West in 1852.