HRH The Prince of Wales Officially Opens UCLH Grafton Way Building

It was an exciting week for our UCLH project with his Royal Highness the Prince of Wales officially marking the opening of the Grafton Way Building.

The new Grafton Way Building is a 13-storey structure. Its basement is an incredible feat of engineering with a volume so large it could fit the Royal Albert Hall within it. Above ground, the hospital houses one of the largest centres for the treatment of blood disorders in Europe. The hospital also contains a full imaging service, an eight-theatre surgery service, a 36-bed recovery area, a 32-bed surgical ward and 10 critical care beds.

After showcasing the spacious atrium, His Royal Highness visited the Macmillan Living Room; a therapeutic centre providing a quiet contemplative space for patients. The Prince of Wales was then taken to visit the Proton Beam Therapy Centre. There he met a patient and her mother to speak about their experience. After meeting staff and supporters of the hospital, His Royal Highness unveiled the plaque and said:

“I was enormously touched to be invited to open this project, which I know has been a long time in the planning. But if I may say so, it is a remarkable achievement and for what it is worth, I offer my congratulations to those who played such an important part, including all those genius physicists who actually understand how proton beam therapy works. It is truly remarkable.”

Baroness Neuberger said:

“After many years in the planning, and more in the construction, it is a real honour to be able to host His Royal Highness. Everything about this new hospital has been designed with patients in mind. From the light filled wards, art on every floor, and the garden, with medicinal plants and a quiet place to reflect and refresh, we hope the experience for patients is as stress free as possible. Alongside the environment, is the technology and equipment – some of the very best in the world, including one of only two NHS PBT centres in the UK.”

Gerald Farque, Managing Director Bouygues UK, who attended the ceremony added:

“I feel incredibly proud of the teams involved in designing and building this hospital; a hospital that will positively impact the lives of so many people. For Bouygues UK, delivering this cutting-edge project is a new step up in our already large healthcare expertise.”

Fabienne Viala, Chair of Bouygues UK said:

“This is no ordinary project: as well as being an innovative and complex build, the finished development will have the potential to improve and even save the lives of those suffering with blood disorders and complex cancers.”