Chester hospital building named one of region's best new developments
The £110 million Women and Children’s Building at the Countess of Chester Hospital has won two awards for construction quality and sustainability.
By Chester Standard
The new Women and Children’s Building at the Countess of Chester Hospital has received two major regional construction awards.
The £110 million facility was named Project of the Year for Cheshire, Wirral and Warrington and also won the Sustainability Award at the 2026 North West Regional Construction Awards.
The building opened in September 2025 and brings maternity, neonatal, paediatric and women’s outpatient services together in one purpose-built facility.
It has 66 beds and is now home to more than 500 members of staff.
The project was funded through the government’s Reinforced Autoclaved Aerated Concrete programme and replaced ageing hospital accommodation containing RAAC.
Construction was delivered by Integrated Health Projects, a joint venture between VINCI Building and Sir Robert McAlpine.
The hospital said the judges recognised the building’s family-focused design, environmental performance and the way the project team worked together to deliver the new facility.
The Sustainability Award follows earlier recognition for the development as the first completed NHS facility in England to be verified as meeting the NHS Net Zero Building Standard.
The building is fully electric and does not use gas.
Its environmental features include solar panels, highly insulated walls, windows and roofing, smart lighting and ventilation systems, and digital controls that monitor energy consumption and carbon emissions.
It has also achieved a BREEAM Excellent rating, placing it among the most energy-efficient buildings in the country. (Countess of Chester Hospital)
The design was shaped by feedback from hospital staff, patients and members of the community.
Facilities include light-filled wards and clinics, wide corridors, automatic doors, baby-feeding rooms and accessible toilets.
There are also landscaped courtyards, children’s play spaces, sensory and teenage rooms, and pull-out beds allowing a parent, partner or carer to remain beside a patient overnight.
A neonatal garden and Lavender Suite provide private areas for families experiencing loss or needing quiet space away from clinical areas.
The project also introduced a Net Zero Carbon Coordinator to oversee energy and carbon decisions during design and construction.
The hospital said the role could provide a model for other NHS construction projects seeking to meet new environmental standards.
Jane Tomkinson, chief executive of the Countess of Chester Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, previously described the facility as a new benchmark for modern healthcare, combining patient care with a commitment to sustainability.
The building serves families from Chester, Ellesmere Port, the wider Cheshire area and parts of North Wales.
The two regional awards recognise both its importance to local healthcare and its role in demonstrating how large NHS developments can reduce their environmental impact.