Developed with children at its heart and built with a boat-like structure to reflect the maritime spirit of Brighton, the Ark, as it is affectionately known, is a state-of-the-art children’s hospital.

The challenge for Kajima was to create one of the UK’s few specialist children’s hospitals that would allow all regional paediatric services to be centralised and provide an optimistic and reassuring experience for children, families and staff.

The layout of the hospital is designed to engender a sense of health and wellbeing with the central atrium connected at all levels to provide a social hub and balconies on each floor for relaxation. The hospital incorporates the bold use of colour and excellent day lighting throughout with all bedrooms on the sea view side of the hospital.

With its child friendly design and structure, the Royal Alexandra Children's Hospital provides a sustainable family centred facility that is a leader in its field and a blueprint for future paediatric hospital design.

The result is an internationally recognised children’s hospital that has won awards for Britain’s best public building in 2008 with the Prime Minister's Better Public Building Award (2008), as well as the Public Private Finance Award (2008) and a Civic Trust Award (2009).

• Civic Trust Award 2009
• MLIT (Government of Japan) Award 2009
• Prime Minister's Better Public Building Award 2008: Winner
• Public Private Finance Award 2008: Operational Project with Best Design
• International Academy for Design and Health Award 2007: Healthcare Design Project of the Year