Children and young people from Dublin 8 are taking part in an art project that will see a section of the hoarding erected around the new children’s hospital transformed to a design of their creation.A group from the Rialto Youth Project were the first local group to work on the hoarding, under the expert tutelage of street artists Emmalene Blake, Gordon Rice and Lanni Power who are training them in the specialist techniques of street art.
Located across from the Rialto Luas Station, a 60-metre section of hoarding that now surrounds the construction site will be illustrated by the local children over the next number of weeks and will remain in place for the duration of the 4-year construction of the new children’s hospital.This is the latest initiative by the National Paediatric Hospital Development Board to involve the local community in the development of the hospital.
Ingrid McElroy, Community Benefit Programme Manager said; “The NPHDB are committed to ensuring that the new children’s hospital is a good neighbour and that the local community benefits from its location in their area. The hoarding around the construction site will be in place for the next four years. As well as showing images of what the new hospital will look like, we wanted the local community to have an input its design.” “The new children’s hospital will be a world-class facility. It will transform children’s healthcare for all of Ireland, and it will also be a catalyst for regeneration in the communities surrounding it so we have a programme of work in place to ensure that local benefit from having the hospital on their doorstep as much as is possible, particularly in terms of employment opportunities,” she said.
Emmalene Blake is the lead artist working on the hoarding art project, supported by Gordon Rice and Lanni Power. Together they will guide a number of groups from local youth projects through the creative process – from concept development to spray painting techniques and safety. “Street art transforms spaced and connects people, so we felt an art project connected with the hoarding was the perfect opportunity to involve local children in the construction phase of the new children’s hospital. It gives them a sense of ownership and helps to educate them about what the hospital will mean for their community.”
Nicola Mooney, Rialto Youth Project said; “We believe in the transformative power of art and creativity as a way of working with young people, we find that it’s a great way to introduce them to a broad spectrum of issues. Not only are the group enjoying learning the spray art techniques from the artists, they’re also learning about this fantastic facility that’s coming to their area and about the opportunities that it will provide for them and their communities as they get older.”
Work on the hoarding art project will continue for the next number of weeks.
About the new children’s hospital project:
- The St. James’s Hospital Campus is approx. 50 acres – equivalent to 25 soccer pitches with 12 acres dedicated to the new children’s hospital – equivalent to 6 soccer pitches
- It will be the size of Dundrum Town Centre and will have an internal street the length of Grafton Street.
- The new children’s hospital will be tri-located with Adult and Maternity hospitals on a shared campus. It is planned that the Coombe Women and Infants University Hospital is also relocating to the same campus.
- The new children’s hospital will be 7 storeys at its highest, comprising of approx. 160,000m2 of accommodation including the car park.
- 6150 rooms in total
- 380 individual inpatient rooms, each with an en-suite and bed for parent to sleep near their child
- 93 Day Beds
- 22 operating theatres and procedure rooms
- 48,000 Lights & 36,000 ICT Points
- 39 Lifts
- 1,000 underground car parking spaces (675 of these for families which can be pre-booked and 31 Emergency spaces outside ED supported by a concierge)
- The size of Dundrum Town Centre, with an internal street the length of Grafton Street
- 4 acres of outdoor areas & gardens
- 14 gardens and internal courtyards – including the Rainbow Garden which is the length of Croke Park
- No hospital campus in Ireland is better served by public transport – 6 bus routes passing through the Campus; 3 Red Line Luas Stops serving the Campus; and 3 Dublin bike stations. Heuston Station is also in close proximity.
- 2 new paediatric Outpatients and Urgent Care Centres at Tallaght Hospital and Connolly Hospital
- A new Children’s Research and Innovation Centre
- A 53-Unit family accommodation unit (Ronald McDonald House Charity)
