The University of California Board of Regents has granted the final approval for the planned $1.49bn expansion of UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospital’s Oakland campus in the US.

The project involves the construction of a new hospital building on the Oakland campus to offer a child-centred health facility for Bay Area residents.

It also marks a significant step in modernising the historic paediatric safety net hospital and Level 1 trauma centre, which has been serving the Bay Area for over a century.

Due to open in 2030, the facility is set to be a LEED Gold-certified and seismically sound building.

It will incorporate green practices for reducing waste and energy usage, with its sustainable approach estimated to cut water consumption by 35%.

This building will provide a light-filled environment with outdoor spaces, and feature 120 electric vehicle charging spaces.

It will also accommodate families staying with their children during treatment and provide space for the latest hospital equipment.

Oakland campus’ seven-storey, 277,500ft² building will have a new and expanded emergency department (ED), doubling the existing space for child-centred trauma care.

The extra space will accommodate updated imaging and surgical services, seven new surgical suites, and a new neonatal intensive care unit.

In addition, the expansion will increase the number of single-patient rooms from 39 to 137, and include rooms for families with multiple children in need of care.

A 20-bed inpatient behavioural health unit will also be added.

UCSF Health president and CEO Suresh Gunasekaran said: “This is an opportunity to extend our impact on the health and well-being of children in our community by enabling more patients to access an innovative, culturally responsive paediatric health system.

“Having facilities that enable and reflect the world-class care provided within is a critical part of our commitment to care teams at the hospital and key to our continued ability to deliver on UCSF’s mission of healing, learning and discovery.”

The new hospital building is being developed as part of a broader $1.62bn modernisation project of the 11-acre Oakland site.

The modernisation initiative will also result in a new administrative building, as well as the refurbishment of the existing patient tower and diagnostic and treatment building. New MRI and emergency department equipment will also be included.

In addition, it will encompass essential infrastructure upgrades, a relocated helistop for emergency transports, and a new parking garage.

UCSF Health has recently announced that union workers would be hired for the project, which is set to require 400 workers annually through 2030.