Race Cottam Architects
Modern hospital main entrance with glass façade and illuminated canopy, attached to a multi-storey building at dusk.Modern hospital main entrance with glass façade and illuminated canopy, attached to a multi-storey building at dusk.
New Main Entrance for Hull Royal InfirmaryHull

From confusion to clarity: a striking new entrance that elevates the hospital arrival experience.

right hospital reception area with a staircase, circular ceiling lights, and people moving through the space near a café seating area.
Modern hospital atrium with a central staircase, wood paneling, and glass walls, viewed from the top looking down toward the entrance.
Contemporary hospital interior featuring a zigzag staircase with integrated lighting and wood paneling, overlooking a seating area.
Pedestrians walking along a landscaped path outside a modern hospital building with large windows and trees on a sunny day.
Spacious hospital atrium with floor-to-ceiling windows, seating, and a central staircase, with visitors walking through the light-filled space.
Modern hospital main entrance with glass façade and angled canopy supported by white columns, with people walking in and out under a clear blue sky.
Project info

This three-storey extension redefines the hospital’s main entrance, creating a clear, welcoming and highly functional arrival space. Replacing a set-back and confusing access point, the new splayed, glazed façade establishes a strong civic presence and intuitively guides visitors inside. The extension connects directly to paediatrics and parental accommodation, while introducing public amenities including retail, dining and faith spaces. At its core, a light-filled atrium reduces congestion and improves circulation, anchored by a central stair and lift core providing access to upper floors. Shaped through extensive engagement with staff and patients, the design delivers a contemporary, inclusive environment that enhances wellbeing and significantly improves the overall visitor experience.

Location

Hull

Date

2023

Client

Hull University Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust

Sustainability

BREEAM Excellence

Cost

£8 million

Area

2500 sq.m

Main Contractor

The Ashcourt Group, Zenith Development Group

Team

Truby Stevenson
DKP Consulting
Mott MacDonald
Ares Landscape Architects

Awards

Winner – The Planning Awards ‘Design Excellence’
Shortlisted – IHEEM Awards
Shortlisted – BBH Awards

RCA Team

Jess Wilkinson
Paul Foster
Owen Nuttall

“The front entrance is a very busy space but the new design has created a very pleasant, clean place to be. What made this project more difficult was having the shell and fit out carried out by two contractors and Race Cottam had to deal with two teams of contractors. In a live hospital environment, adjoining an occupied tower block and being the main access point for the main building at HRI, with a live link bridge to another building running through the site. All of which had to be phased and designed.

"Overall it was an extremely challenging project both technically and practically on site and RCA kept up and delivered their design and throughout were very professional and a pleasure to work with."

Dave Ward Principal Project Manager, Hull University teaching Hospitals
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