Double success for McBains at Building Better Healthcare Awards 2024

McBains returned triumphant from the Building Better Healthcare Awards 2024 on November 6, 2024, with the Louisa Martindale Building (3Ts) not only being named 'Best Healthcare Development over £75m' but also receiving the coveted 'Grand Prix' prize - a special trophy presented to the entry from across all awards within the building design class that the judges felt had the most impact and is the most architecturally-significant development within health and social care.

McBains Directors Steven Brooker and Bernard Osei were proudly in attendance to celebrate the awards and acknowledge the dedication and expertise our team has poured into this remarkable project. A huge thank you to everyone involved.

The Louisa Martindale Building is the first and largest stage of the Brighton Trauma, Tertiary and Training (3Ts) redevelopment that will replace all buildings on the front half of the Royal Sussex County Hospital site in Brighton. Totalling 62,375m2 , the building provides facilities for 28 clinical wards and departments, plus new diagnostic and theatre capacity, across 11 floors.

With many of the decanted wards and departments coming from an adjacent 19th century building, the LMB delivers a vastly improved hospital experience for hundreds of thousands of patients and visitors every year:

• The new wards provide up to five times more space per bed, with 65% of beds in ensuite single rooms.
• All neuroscience services are now under one roof.
• New discharge lounge has seen patient usage rise by 198%.
• Public areas, corridors and lifts are separated from inpatient transfer lifts, and dedicated changing facilities lead straight to treatment rooms / corridors, to preserve patient privacy and dignity.
• Colour palettes are dementia friendly and low-level night lighting reduces the sense of confusion when patients wake up.
• Single rooms have a continuous handrail from the bed to the bathroom to help unsteady patients.

As part of the project, the hospital's Victorian Grade-II listed chapel was intricately deconstructed and relocated to a purpose-built space in the new hospital building.

McBains provided construction supervision, cost management and project management services to the scheme and continues to assist University Hospital Sussex NHS Foundation Trust with Stage 2 of the overall redevelopment.