Architectural practice Nightingale has won a contract to design the £150m Edinburgh Royal Hospital for Sick Children, for NHS Lothian.

The partnership between Nightingale Associates and Tribal Healthcare - working with Principal Supply Chain Partner, BAM Construction - beat four other teams to win its second Frameworks Scotland contract.

The pair's success follows its win of the £100m Dumfries Royal Infirmary Hospital bid earlier this year, where it beat stiff competition to be awarded the first ever project through the framework.

The 30,000sqm new-build hospital will replace Edinburgh's existing Royal Hospital for Sick Children in the city centre, and will be situated next to the Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh on the outskirts of the city.

The development will contain: children and young people's A&E, day case and inpatient areas; imaging department; outpatients unit; therapy suite: theatre suite; a critical care unit; Child and Adolescent Mental Health day case and inpatient unit; as well as a child and family hotel. There will also be facilities for rehabilitation, education and staff administration.

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Kieren Morgan, Health Development Director, said: "This is an absolutely fantastic opportunity for Nightingale Associates and is a significant step forward not just in terms of increasing our reputation in Scotland, but also in building our portfolio of high-profile projects at the cutting-edge of healthcare design.

"The project will be of immense importance, not just on a national level, but also an international level."

Nightingale Associates was awarded the contract based on, amongst other things, the innovation displayed in its design, which used new concepts such as 'cruciform wards', Sense Sensitive Design and the much-discussed single-bed wards. The practice was able to draw on its pervious similar experience on the Design for Life NHS framework in Wales, through which it was selected to design the first ever 100% single-room hospitals to be built in the UK.

Craig Dixon, Director of Consulting, Tribal said: "It is great to be invited to join the NHS Lothian project team to work in partnership to develop this project. The opportunity to deliver a new hospital to accommodate the wonderful services provided to children of Edinburgh and the surrounding area is one we value."

The design stage of the hospital has already begun, and is expected to last for 15 months. Construction is due to start in June 2010, with completion anticipated for December 2012.

(GK/JM)