Ronald McDonald House plans expansion.

Moeckel Carbonell Associates Inc. has been retained by the Ronald McDonald House to design an expansion, which will almost double the capacity of the original facility. The expansion will include 23 additional guest rooms, a kitchen and dining area and a 20-seat movie theater.

The house currently hosts about 1,600 families each year with about 452 families being turned away because of a shortage of rooms. The increased volume is a result of growth at the Alfred I. duPont Hospital for Children. The world-renowned pediatric hospital has expanded its liver, kidney, stem cell and bone marrow transplant programs, as well as cancer and cardiac surgery programs.