Finalist at the Healthcare Design Awards 2026, our patient-centred maternity and neonatal building has been shortlisted

This recognition demonstrates our team’s dedication to creating nurturing healthcare spaces, which set the benchmark in innovation and deliver exceptional care. Designed hand-in-hand with the people who use it every day, the Countess of Chester Hospital Women and Children’s Building shows what is possible when clinical insight, human-centred design and sustainable healthcare development come together with a shared purpose.

A bespoke solution shaped by collaboration

From the outset, our team worked closely with clinicians, midwives, paediatric nurses, parents and the community to understand how the building could best support comfort, dignity and clinical excellence.

Their feedback shaped every detail, from the need for natural light, to the inclusion of pull-down beds allowing parents to stay overnight and quiet outdoor spaces. Even the children’s play balcony was co-designed with local pupils, creating a sense of shared ownership and pride. Access to green, outdoor spaces helps teams feel refreshed and focused throughout the day.

This inclusive approach responds to the needs of patients, families and staff and truly belongs to the community it serves. We have delivered a future-ready working environment which has boosted staff morale, strengthened cross-department working and supports staff recruitment, a crucial benefit for NHS Trusts looking to strengthen their workforce.

Through our years of experience in healthcare design, we have a deep understanding of how the environments we create shape both patient experience and clinical outcomes.

Discover how thoughtful, patient-focused design can transform the way we deliver healthcare.

An efficient, adaptable workplace

Over three years we worked with the Trust and the Integrated Health Projects (IHP) team, with fourteen clinical teams contributing to room layouts and patient flows, ensuring that every department reflects real operational needs. Through this engagement we have created seamless clinical adjacencies, efficient patient flows and flexible treatment areas which support the priorities outlined in NHS England’s Maternity and Neonatal Infrastructure Review.

We are dedicated to shaping healthcare spaces which enhance the wellbeing of both staff and patients.

Read how the NHS Workforce Plan and healthcare design can create workplaces which allow staff to thrive

A restorative, nurturing environment

The interior design strategy has been thoughtfully created to nurture comfort, ease and support, with connections to nature throughout, supporting patient healing and wellbeing. A purposeful use of colour responds to the needs of each department, bringing warmth, calm and tranquillity to the space. Tactile wayfinding helps people move through the building confidently without sensory overwhelm , while warm, durable materials have been selected for their practicality, balancing infection control with the need to feel at home.

Setting a new benchmark for future women’s and children’s healthcare facilities

As the first building in England approved under the NHS Net Zero Building Standard, the Countess of Chester Hospital Women and Children’s Building sets a powerful precedent for next-generation hospital design. Sustainability was embedded from day one, with the all-electric building achieving net zero through an integrated, data-led design approach. We have selected low carbon materials, implemented air source heat pumps, photovoltaics and advanced building controls, and optimised natural lighting and ventilation strategies to deliver exceptional energy performance and a resilient, future-proof estate asset for the Trust.

Our commitment to shaping sustainable, resilient spaces runs through everything we do and we are proud to use science-based targets and recognised methods of measurement to drive innovation in this area.

Read about our recent recognition here when we were named Building Design’s Net Zero Architect of the Year.

Positively impacting healthcare outcomes

The building’s design actively enhances clinical pathways, reducing stress and improving safety for all users and early feedback is already showing the difference the building is making. Staff have described the impact as ‘transformational’, noting smoother workflows and shorter response times between departments. Patients report a calmer, more dignified experience, and parents value being able to stay close to their newborns during treatment.

Marking an exciting step forward for the future of NHS estate development nationwide, the Countess of Chester Hospital’s Women and Children’s Building brings together patient-led care, co-located clinical services, trauma-informed architecture into one sustainable and adaptable building.

We are delighted that the project has been recognised and can’t wait to see the full Healthcare Design Awards results, announced in February.

Read more about the Countess of Chester Hospital’s Women and Children’s Building here