University College Hospital, Grafton Way Building

This project is for the first major proton beam therapy unit in the UK, much of the building is underground with patient beds above and all arranged around a central courtyard building and full height day-lit atrium.

Opened in January 2022, and designed by Edward Williams Architects (now renamed Cagni Williams) in association with Scott Tallon Walker Architects, the 34,500 Sq.M. building on the corner of Tottenham Court Road and Grafton Way, in central London, allows UCLH’s advanced cancer services to be delivered from the Trust’s campus where it enjoys a close collaboration with UCL on groundbreaking research projects. The site has direct access to UCLH’s existing radiotherapy department and is immediately north of the University College Hospital Macmillan Cancer Centre.

The building is UCLH’s flagship cancer and surgery hospital. With nine clinical floors, it is home to one of Europe’s largest centres for the treatment of blood disorders. It has a hyper-modern surgical service, with eight theatres and a surgical ward and advanced cancer services in The Proton Beam Therapy Centre in basements 3 and 4 (one of only 2 such NHS centres in England) while providing up to 120 patient beds on the floors above.

The design uses shading and screening elements to create an elegant and sophisticated composition for the main perimeter building which completes the urban block in which it sits. The project is arranged around an L-shaped full height atrium that separates it from a lower central courtyard building and brings daylight into the heart of the building. 

The building consists of a series of elegant bays in elevation that relate directly to the roof-scape; the use of rods for the external shading and screening elements along with clear, un-tinted glass and with user control of the sun shades themselves creates a sophisticated composition that responds to the daily rhythm of the building’s use. The ground level is colonnaded and glazed which allows for an active street frontage that encourages visual and physical connections to the street.

The reduced height central courtyard building provides roof gardens for use, as does the roof of the atrium and this creates a stepped series of south facing gardens in the centre of the urban block that provides good views for the residents of the adjacent flats that look into the site.

The project has achieved a BREEAM commendation which is always a challenge with highly serviced healthcare buildings.