World class centre for eye health reaches construction milestone
11 December 2024
The new home for Moorfields Eye Hospital NHS Foundation Trust and the UCL Institute of Ophthalmology reached a significant construction milestone today.
The completion of the concrete structure of the new centre for advancing eye health, in St Pancras, Camden, was marked with a traditional topping out ceremony.
The new centre, project name Oriel, is a partnership between Moorfields Eye Hospital, the UCL Institute of Ophthalmology and Moorfields Eye Charity.
Due to open in 2027, the centre will bring clinicians from the hospital’s City Road site and scientists under one roof for the first time.
Exterior of the building following the completion of the concrete structure
Dedicated education space located throughout the building will offer collaborative environments for knowledge sharing and an enhanced space for students to learn from world leaders in ophthalmology and vision science.
The centre has been co-designed by staff and patients to ensure it offers an inclusive environment where innovative research will flourish, staff will thrive and patients will experience an enhanced seamless patient experience.
Architect’s impression of the inside of the new eye health centre - reception
An innovation hub will be located in the heart of the new centre to encourage collaboration and is intended to be a catalyst for interaction, dissemination of knowledge and cross-fertilisation of ideas and concepts between clinicians and researchers at the forefront of translational ophthalmic science, especially in the digital domain.
The innovative building design has created standardised scientific wet lab ‘neighbourhoods’, where each research group will have access to specialist tissue cell laboratories, genomic research and state-of-the-art cellular and molecular imaging.
The centre, under construction by Bouygues UK, is located in the heart of the King’s Cross Knowledge Quarter and will be a catalyst for interaction, sharing of knowledge, ideas and concepts between clinicians, researchers and industry.
Architect’s impression of the facade of the new eye health centre
The new centre has been funded by proceeds from the sale of the current sites near Old Street, £100m from generous donors to Moorfields Eye Charity and UCL Advancement, and £110m from the Department of Health and Social Care through the first wave in the New Hospital Programme
Philanthropy is critical to the delivery of Oriel. The charity, in partnership with UCL, is committed to raising over £100 million. The campaign has raised £73 million in commitments to date.
We’re very grateful to the generous donors supporting this centre and look forward to talking to potential donors interested in supporting these ambitious plans.
We were delighted to invite our generous leadership donors to this landmark event. Philanthropy has played an integral role in the funding of this new centre and we are proud to hear how it will help ensure Moorfields and the UCL Institute of Ophthalmology continue to be world leaders in ophthalmic health care innovation. Ongoing philanthropic support from Moorfields Eye Charity, thanks to our generous donors, will be critical to achieving this innovation.
Robert Dufton, Moorfields Eye Charity chief executive
Supporting the new eye health centre
To find out more about the new centre and our fundraising to realise this world-leading project, please get in touch with Rachel Jones on rachel.jones310@nhs.net or 07872 422219.
£1 million gift enhancing education in centre for advancing eye health
£1 million gift from Friends of Moorfields to new centre for advancing eye health
