The Magdi Yacoub Heart Centre Cairo has begun construction. The project marks the newest outpost of the Aswan Heart Centre founded by Egyptian surgeon Sir Magdi Yacoub and provides free treatment for the people of Egypt and those in sub-Saharan Africa.
The 300-bed hospital has views of the Pyramids of Giza and is set within a verdant landscape with a lake and seeks to optimize the overall patient experience and decrease recovery times. The site of the hospital borders the Zewail City of Science and Technology, forming part of an integrated health and medical research zone.
The ground floor comprises comprehensive diagnosis and treatment facilities, including an accident and emergency department, a large outpatient clinic, and rehabilitative departments. Several courtyards bring natural light into the building and aid orientation. The surgical department and intensive care units are co-located, minimizing the distance between “bed and bench” and maximizing collaboration between researchers and caregivers.
Eight intensive care units on the first floor are designed to optimize recovery. Each patient room on the ground level is oriented so the patients benefit from landscaped views and the newly formed lake on the northern edge. Prefabricated operating theaters feature carefully planned flows to ensure high clinical safety standards. The hospital will also feature support spaces for families, as well as classrooms and educational spaces for medical students. Single and shared patient rooms on the upper floors are sheltered by sculptural shell-like roof structures.
A green terrace on the second floor will provide break-out space for the staff and visitors. The open terrace is interspersed with built spaces containing a large staff canteen, children’s nurse, and other collaborative meeting spaces.
“This is a special project that focusses on giving the best care to the patients and offering them the best natural setting to recover in,” said Nigel Dancey, Head of Studio, Foster + Partners, said in a release. “It brings together the latest research on biophilia and the positive impact of nature in clinical settings with our pioneering work on collaborative working environments that allow healthcare professionals to give the best care.”
Related Stories
| Oct 8, 2014
Massive ‘healthcare village’ in Nevada touted as world’s largest healthcare project
The $1.2 billion Union Village project is expected to create 12,000 permanent jobs when completed by 2024.
| Oct 3, 2014
Designing for women's health: Helping patients survive and thrive
In their quest for total wellness, women today are more savvy healthcare consumers than ever before. They expect personalized, top-notch clinical care with seamless coordination at a reasonable cost, and in a convenient location. Is that too much to ask?
| Sep 29, 2014
10 common deficiencies in aging healthcare facilities
VOA's Douglas King pinpoints the top issues that arise during healthcare facilities assessments, including missing fire/smoke dampers, out-of-place fire alarms, and poorly constructed doorways.
| Sep 25, 2014
Look to history warily when gauging where the construction industry may be headed
Precedents and patterns may not tell you all that much about future spending or demand.
| Sep 24, 2014
Architecture billings see continued strength, led by institutional sector
On the heels of recording its strongest pace of growth since 2007, there continues to be an increasing level of demand for design services signaled in the latest Architecture Billings Index.
| Sep 23, 2014
Cedars-Sinai looks to streamline trauma care with first-of-its-kind OR360 simulation space
The breakthrough simulation center features moveable walls and a modular ceiling grid that allow doctors and military personnel to easily reconfigure the shape and size of the space.
| Sep 22, 2014
4 keys to effective post-occupancy evaluations
Perkins+Will's Janice Barnes covers the four steps that designers should take to create POEs that provide design direction and measure design effectiveness.
| Sep 22, 2014
Sound selections: 12 great choices for ceilings and acoustical walls
From metal mesh panels to concealed-suspension ceilings, here's our roundup of the latest acoustical ceiling and wall products.
| Sep 20, 2014
Healthcare conversion projects: 5 hard-earned lessons from our experts
Repurposing existing retail and office space is becoming an increasingly popular strategy for hospital systems to expand their reach from the mother ship. Our experts show how to avoid the common mistakes that can sabotage outpatient adaptive-reuse projects.
| Sep 19, 2014
8 hot healthcare projects win interior design awards
Winners of IIDA's 2014 Healthcare Interior Design Competition include Perkins+Will, AECOM, Buffalo Design, and SmithGroupJJR, for projects from Cincinnati to Toronto.
