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Ronald McDonald House Hong Kong Charities (RMHC) is a locally registered charitable organization that provides a temporary ‘home-away-from home’ support to seriously ill children who are being treated at the nearby Prince of Wales Hospital. The House is located in To Shek Village, Shatin, only five minutes walk from the hospital. Its close proximity to the Hospital also reduces cost and stress to the children’s families.
The House support children having serious illnesses ranging from leukemia, brain tumor, osteosarcoma, or just recovering from a bone marrow transplant. In the House, young patients can experience more quality time in comfort and company of their family members who can also receive support and strength from staff, volunteers and other families who are sharing similar experiences. This sense of community support makes Ronald McDonald House special.
Project Summary
5minutes away from Prince of Wales Hospital where seriously ill children are treated
20 families served at the same time
The Ronald McDonald House was opened in 1996 providing up to 20 families at a time with common kitchen, dining facilities, laundry, library, living room, computer room and both indoor and outdoor play areas.
The house has served about a thousand families that stay for about 4 months and there was a constant waiting list of families needing to use the facility. This number was expected to grow as the number of children from Mainland China receiving medical attention from the Hospital increases.
Guiding the rejuvenation
Arup provided project and construction management services and assisted RMHC in the funding and sponsorship of the renovation as well as in the development and implementation of its business strategies.
The project began as a simple renovation project which targeted minor water leakage and a simple facelift on the existing space. However, the Arup team noticed numerous problems in the MEP systems which caused water stains, inadequate ventilation, foul smells and costly electric bills. As a result, Arup sought the expansion of the project scope, proposed a solution that re-designed the MVAC system for the House and proposed improvements that resulted in better and more efficient operations.
