30 July 2014

New BRI façade design receives planning approval

Bristol City Council today announced that planning permission for the proposed redesign of the Bristol Royal Infirmary's frontage has been granted. The redesign of the frontage forms part of an investment of £92 million to redevelop the hospital, which includes the recently opened Welcome Centre, new ward block and helideck.

The design, named 'Veil', by Spanish architects Nieto Sobejano, was one of six submissions put forward in an international competition run by University Hospitals Bristol NHS Foundation Trust (UH Bristol) in 2012/3. It was selected as the winner following a public vote and recommendation from the panel overseeing the competition, which included representatives of Bristol's creative and architectural design community, supported by art consultancy Willis Newson.

Robert Woolley, Chief Executive Officer at UH Bristol, said: "We are delighted that the new façade design has now been approved by Bristol City Council. We believe that Nieto Sobejano's design strongly meets the original aims of the commission, namely to create a landmark building for Bristol that is welcoming and non-threatening, enhances the streetscape and public realm, and reflects, through excellence in design, our reputation for clinical excellence.

"With the planning permission now in place, we can now move forward with our plans to install the new façade, which is a highly visible aspect of the wider project to refurbish our hospitals."

The Trust has appointed D&B Facades as their preferred contractor and work on the façade is expected to start later this year, with D&B Facades first creating a mock-up of the design prior to installing the full structure.

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