Thoughtful, resilient design at Altnagelvin Hospital has reshaped healthcare in Derry/Londonderry, creating modern, compassionate spaces that improve patient experiences, support families, and strengthen community pride.
Altnagelvin Hospital
- Client: Western Health and Social Care Trust
- Location: Derry, Londonderry, Northern Ireland
- Value: £42m
Services
- Interior design
- Landscape architecture
- Masterplanning and urban design
- Sustainability
Awards
- Royal Society of Ulster Architects Awards
- Architects Journal Awards
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20 years of Thoughtful Healthcare Design
Over the past two decades, the redevelopment of Altnagelvin Hospital has redefined healthcare in Derry/Londonderry, delivering a campus shaped by innovation, resilience, and compassion. Each project has been carefully designed to enhance patient experience, from the South Wing’s bright, state-of-the-art spaces for maternity, oncology, and cardiac care, to the tranquil Endoscopy Unit, blending refurbished and new elements around a calming courtyard. Sensitive design is reflected in the discreet Mortuary, while the robust yet refined Multi-Storey Car Park improves safety and accessibility. The North Wing, a welcoming civic gateway, stands as the proud culmination of 20 years of thoughtful healthcare design.
I am delighted to see the North Wing facility completed and fully operational. The six new wards will allow us to provide clinical care and treatment to our patients in single en-suite rooms. This will improve the quality and experience for our patients, whilst supporting our staff in their caring roles.
Dr Anne Kilgallen Western Trust Chief Executive
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In focus
Masterplanning
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A green corridor, cycle path, and continuous pedestrian route link all the department entrances around the hospital site.
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A site-wide arts strategy includes landscaped open spaces, furniture, and sculptures for everyone to enjoy.
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The arrival area accommodates expected traffic volumes and provides a safe, welcoming environment.
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It’s a source of great pride to see the dedication and commitment of our team during extremely challenging circumstances. We worked together to ensure the successful speedy delivery of the wards in Altnagelvin.
Kevin O'Neill Architect
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In focus
Interior design
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The ward cluster layout allows us to maximise natural daylight and encourage patients’ connection to the outside landscape.
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We used colour and art to identify routes, reducing the number of directional signs required.
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Pioneering ward layout
The stand-out feature of our ward design is the eight-bed cluster layout for the 144 single bedrooms in the North Wing. This unique concept within healthcare design leads to more efficient and carefully considered space planning that we don’t believe has been seen elsewhere.
With thoughtful planning, we adapted the typical format for an ‘interstitial’ layout to form a cluster of eight bedrooms. By offsetting two of the bedrooms, our design creates an area which provides nursing staff with 100% unobstructed observation of all patients within the cluster from one central nursing station.
The cluster layout allows us to maximise natural daylight and encourage patients’ connection to the outside landscape, as well as optimising secondary natural light within hospital corridors.
