DSSR was commissioned to support MEP service alterations associated with the reconfiguration of the NHS Royal Hospital for Children in Glasgow, the largest paediatric theatre unit in Scotland.

This project required the upgrade and reconfiguration of LED lighting and controls, small power, data, fire alarms, access control, nurse call, ventilation, air conditioning, sprinklers, domestic water services and drainage.

The extensive transformation of the children’s hospital unit was a unique collaboration between children and creatives–and the first of its kind in the country. The design process has been guided by the patients themselves, consulting children from all over Scotland, with a range of conditions and backgrounds, about the things that make them feel happiest and safest.

The Guardian described the resulting reconfiguration in glowing terms: “Murals, colourful chairs and fairy lights help create a mood that is more soft play than pre-theatre at Royal Hospital for Children”

Alyson Walker, a paediatric cardiac anaesthetist who spearheaded the comprehensive and carefully plotted redesign: “It felt like the [old] environment was letting down the staff.

“It’s an honour to become part of other people’s stories in those most vulnerable moments, so I wanted to create a space that reflected the incredible children we see every day–and their families and communities–so they could see something beautiful and something of themselves.”