Thomond designers share hospital contract

AN €8 million contract to design a new national children’s hospital has been awarded to a consortium of three architectural firms including the firm of designers of the new Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation headquarters in Seattle.

Award-winning American firm NBBJ, whose flagship projects include Reebok world headquarters in Massachusetts, Boeing Commercial Airplane headquarters in Washington and the coveted six-star residential condominium The Sail@Marina Bay in Singapore, will join with Irish firms Murray O Laoire and Brian O’Connell Associates in designing the new €850 million hospital.

The contract, which involves the provision of integrated team services from pre-design, throughout construction, until operational readiness of the new hospital, has a total value of €7,987,047, excluding VAT. According to the Government’s etender website, the design team was selected out of total of six bids on the basis of “the most economically advantageous tender in terms of method statement and price”.