Chester’s newest hospital building is marking its first year with a remarkable run of national awards. The £110m Women & Children’s Building at the Countess of Chester Hospital has picked up three major awards in the past week, bringing its total to seven and cementing its place as one of the most celebrated new healthcare developments in the UK.
The building opened in September 2025 and has been praised for its modern design, sustainable construction and the way staff, patients and families helped shape the space.
Its latest awards include Most Sustainable Building Project of the Year at the Building Innovation Awards, Regional Winner for Best Public of Community Building at the Local Authority Building Control Building Excellence Awards, and Project of the Year at the Government Property Awards – the top honour for public sector buildings.
These follow earlier wins for architectural design, sustainability and construction quality, as well as national recognition for its rainscreen façade.
The building is also shortlisted for six further national awards including the HSJ Towards Net Zero Award and the Building Better Healthcare Awards in November.
The Women & Children’s Building brings maternity, neonatal, paediatric and gynaecology services together under one roof. It replaces a 1970s facility with modern, family‑focused spaces. The project was delivered in a little over two years using a “domino effect” construction method that meant they could build up and across at the same time.
Every ward has single ensuite rooms with floor‑to‑ceiling windows and a pull-out bed for partners to stay overnight. The building includes a Teens Lounge, a secure, enclosed open-air children’s play area, the Lavender Suite for families facing bereavement, and an overnight flat, kitchenette and courtyard for neonatal families.
It is also the first completed NHS building in England to be verified as compliant with the NHS Net Zero Building Standard. Its design has attracted national interest, with NHS organisations visiting Chester to learn from the approach.
Families responded immediately. Enquiries to maternity services doubled during the opening week, and births and new bookings have risen by around ten per cent since the building opened.
Jane Tomkinson, OBE, Chief Executive at the Countess of Chester Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, said: “Families helped shape this building from the start. Their feedback guided the spaces we created for women, babies and children. Our Family Integrated Care approach is now nationally accredited, and we are already seeing the impact. Births and maternity bookings have risen by around ten per cent since opening, showing that local families are putting their trust in us.
“These awards also matter for the future. They strengthen our case for further investment and support our ambition to become a teaching hospital. Modern, sustainable facilities attract the best staff and create greater opportunities for training and research.
“Winning seven awards and being shortlisted for another six in our first year, including at Government level, is a tremendous achievement. It reflects the staff and patient‑informed design, the sustainability, the construction quality and the public value behind the project.”
The building’s success is already opening doors for collaboration, with neighbouring Trusts, commissioners, NHS England and Government teams seeking to learn from its design and sustainability approach.
Jane added: “What is most exciting is how this building is already shaping the future of NHS design. We are seeing interest from across the country because the Women & Children’s Building shows what modern, sustainable healthcare can look like. If it helps other hospitals deliver better environments for families, then its impact will reach far beyond Chester.”
The project team included the Countess of Chester Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, Integrated Health Projects – a joint venture between VINCI Building and Sir Robert McAlpine – architects AHR and a wide group of specialist consultants and contractors.
