Success for hospital project at international architecture awards

Posted: March 06, 2026
WAN 2026 Awards
WAN 2026 Awards

Our project to create the new University Hospital Monklands scooped bronze in the global architecture awards.

The Monklands Replacement Project (MRP) design for the hospital at Wester Moffat in Airdrie made the final three in the Future Projects – Healthcare category at the prestigious World Architecture News Awards this week.

The sought-after international awards are given to projects that redefine the boundaries of what is possible in the built environment and are judged by an expert panel of industry leaders. As a platform for architects to showcase their work and gain global recognition, the awards encourage innovation and sustainability, reflecting the importance of architecture in addressing real-world challenges and creating future-oriented places.

MRP Director Graeme Reid said: 

“It’s a fantastic achievement to make the top three in a category at these high-profile awards, which saw some of the most ground-breaking architectural projects across the globe being assessed by the expert judges.

“It’s a major tribute to the project architects. Keppie Design, and to the entire MRP team, who have driven forward our planning and design to the point where we have now submitted our Full Business Case and are awaiting Scottish Government approval.

“The architectural vision for the new Monklands has been crafted to support our revolutionary model for clinical care and to help us achieve our ambition to create Scotland’s first digital hospital, which will also be net zero carbon in its construction and operation.”

Suzanne Tighe, Associate Director at Keppie Design, said:
“We’re delighted on behalf of NHS Lanarkshire and the whole project team that the project has been recognised on a global platform and alongside the work of contemporaries who we truly admire. Our warmest congratulations go to our fellow finalists and we look forward more than ever to progressing with the delivery of the new University Hospital Monklands.”
The judges were impressed by the campus planning of the new Monklands, which uses the concept of a “village”. It’s based on a series of green spaces linked by the main pedestrian “street” – the spine of the building that brings together public and clinical areas and other “districts”. There’s a range of public spaces, from active community squares to “pocket” courtyards. The hospital design achieves two significant goals: a clinical model that requires particular departments and services to be located close together; and a campus environment that allows daylight and the natural landscape of the picturesque site to be drawn into the heart of the hospital. There’s an important emphasis on connecting patients, staff and the public with the outdoors, providing spaces that promote active enjoyment and peaceful reflection to enhance wellbeing.

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