As the healthcare planners on the award-winning Michael Hopkins design at Guy s and St Thomas new children's hospital (news focus, page 14, 16 December), we think your readers will be interested in the unusual approach adopted by the trust and the winning team.
The use of an architectural competition to deliver both a challenging brief with tight cost limits and a landmark building encouraged participants to explore innovative approaches.
Unusually for architectural competitions, comprehensive briefing material was available from the trust and each team had the opportunity to present ideas to the trust and external assessors at interim stages. This made clear the trusts intention to build the winning design, not go back, literally, to the drawing board and start again after the competition ended.
A wide-ranging consultation by the trust ensured stakeholders including children, parents, staff and external bodies had an opportunity to comment on the five short listed designs.
The winning team is also unusual in that it represents a combination of architects with a reputation for landmark buildings but no previous hospital design experience and a multidisciplinary team with a track record of healthcare experience.
This is an approach other trusts may wish to consider.
Tina Nolan Carole Rawlinson Directors RKW Healthcare Strategies
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