SOM’s Sheikh Khalifa Medical City Will Be a Healing Green Oasis in Abu Dhabi

The new <a href="http://www.som.com/content.cfm/sheikh_khalifa_medical_city" target="_blank">Sheikh Khalifa Medical City</a> in Abu Dhabi is slated to begin construction in 2013 and will provide advanced medical care in the heart of the city. Envisioned as a sustainable city within a city, the new hospital will feature strategies to cope with the intense desert climate to create a welcoming and pleasant atmosphere for patients and visitors. The <a href="http://www.som.com/" target="_blank">SOM-designed</a> hospital is aiming for a Two Pearl rating under the <a href="http://estidama.org/">Estidama</a> guidelines for sustainable design, which is equivalent to a LEED Gold certification.

The <a href="http://www.som.com/content.cfm/sheikh_khalifa_medical_city" target="_blank">Sheikh Khalifa Medical City</a> is being designed by SOM for the SEHA, the Abu Dhabi Health Service company.

The new eco hospital will rise up on the site of the existing facility, which will undergo a phased demolition and reconstruction.

Envisioned as a city within a city, the bustling facility will become a vibrant and welcoming space for patients and visitors.

Integrating both historical and regional precedents, the medical center will make use of state of the art technologies along with local heritage of the UAE to build a space that responds to its desert environment.

As for sustainability, the project is aiming for a Two Pearl rating under the Estidama guidelines for sustainable design.

Regional concepts are combined with high efficiency systems to mitigate the extreme temperatures of the desert climate.

Natural daylighting, ventilation and sun shading will all work in conjunction to passively improve the conditions of the space. Hanging gardens, public courtyards, and terraces will infuse nature into the space.

Rooftop solar collectors and simple fabric scrims will shade the main garden level, which is lush with vegetation to create a cooler microclimate.