Bouygues UK, a construction company, has topped out on the 10-storey Oriel Eye Centre build.
The completion of the concrete structure of the new centre for advancing eye health, in St Pancras, Camden, was marked with a traditional topping-out ceremony.
The Oriel Eye Centre is a partnership between Moorfields Eye Hospital, the UCL Institute of Ophthalmology, and Moorfields Eye Charity.
Due to open in 2027, the centre will bring clinicians from the hospital’s City Road site and scientists under one roof for the first time.
Due to open in 2027, the centre will bring clinicians from the hospital’s City Road site and scientists under one roof for the first time
Chair and CEO of Bouygues UK, Fabienne Viala, said: "I'm thrilled to celebrate the topping out of this incredible project. The progress we've made truly showcases the power of our collaboration and shared vision."
"While we are proud to be delivering our technical expertise, we're equally dedicated to providing training and job opportunities for local residents and promoting careers in construction throughout the project," said. "Working with Camden Council and the Knowledge Quarter we've already made significant strides towards our goal of over 100 meaningful work placements, and it's incredibly rewarding to hear from our apprentices and graduates about how valuable this experience has been for them."
The state-of-the-art centre will be the first NHS digitally enabled SMART hospital in which technology will play a pivotal role in how people use the building. Improving access and reducing eye healthcare inequalities have been an important focus through the design process.
Patients will be able to access world-leading specialist care virtually via the centre’s digital front door, helping deliver care closer to home and avoid unnecessary visits.
The Oriel Eye Centre is a partnership between Moorfields Eye Hospital, the UCL Institute of Ophthalmology, and Moorfields Eye Charity
The new centre has been funded by proceeds from the sale of the current sites near Old Street, £100m from generous donors to Moorfields Eye Charity and UCL Advancement, and £110m from the Department of Health and Social Care through the first wave in the New Hospital Programme.
Senior Responsible Owner (SRO) of the New Hospital Programme, Natalie Forrest, said: "It is incredible to see how much progress has been made and wonderful to see the structure reach its full height.
"We are thrilled the new centre for eye care, research, and education has moved forward as part of the New Hospital Programme, which marks a step change in how we design and build new hospital facilities. This incredible state-of-the-art centre will transform eye care and health for people worldwide."
Further, the Oriel Eye Centre features a dedicated education space located throughout the building will offer collaborative environments for knowledge sharing and an enhanced space for students to learn from world leaders in ophthalmology and vision science.
The state-of-the-art centre will be the first NHS digitally enabled SMART hospital in which technology will play a pivotal role in how people use the building
The centre has been co-designed by staff and patients to ensure it offers an inclusive environment where innovative research will flourish, staff will thrive and patients will experience an enhanced seamless patient experience.
An innovation hub will also be located in the heart of the new centre to encourage collaboration and is intended to be a catalyst for interaction, dissemination of knowledge and cross-fertilisation of ideas and concepts between clinicians and researchers at the forefront of translational ophthalmic science, especially in the digital domain.
The innovative building design has created standardised scientific wet lab ‘neighbourhoods’, where each research group will have access to specialist tissue cell laboratories, genomic research, and state-of-the-art cellular and molecular imaging.
Other areas of innovation showcased in the new centre:
- Co-design has been at the heart of creating the centre for advancing eye health. Our patients and staff have been instrumental in every step of the Oriel journey and still continue to support us as we plan to move into the building in three years.
- The centre’s 14 purpose designed theatres will enable clinicians to be highly efficient, increase elective activity and deliver an excellent experience for patients.
- Outpatient areas have been specifically designed using a standardised approach to future proof for changing care delivery pathways; and we have trialled and tested our diagnostic test pathways for improved patient experience and clinical efficiency.
- In the heart of the new centre there will an area dedicated to patient support, regardless of whether it is help with receiving care, getting involved in research or education about eye conditions.
- Dry labs will form one unified research area for both Moorfields and UCL Institute of Ophthalmology staff dedicated to experimental medicine, novel device development and early phase research.
- Seven education spaces throughout the centre will be shared by Moorfields Eye Hospital and the UCL Institute of Ophthalmology to create opportunities for collaborative teaching and learning.
- There will be 18 dedicated welfare spaces for staff and students throughout the building. One of the areas is a restaurant with a roof terrace with views of the London skyline.