Dyson Cancer Centre, Royal United Hospitals

Bath

A major development for the Royal United Hospitals (RUH) in Bath, this dedicated new building provides state of the art cancer treatment facilities. Occupying a prime location at the hospital entrance, the Dyson Cancer Centre welcomes visitors into a light and airy atrium and links through to the new “green heart” landscaped garden beyond. Wards and treatment spaces are accommodated in a main concrete frame with cantilever first floor protrusions and internal courtyards adding visual interest and natural light. Concrete provided the design flexibility and large service voids required for a modern hospital whilst steel is used in the atrium to create the desired airy feel. As the site is within an established hospital, the surroundings imposed some challenging restraints for the design team to overcome including maintaining access to existing buildings whilst linking to them above, the rerouting of services, and the limiting of vibrations.