This spring, the 1-million-sf Sidra Medicine in Doha, Qatar, is scheduled to launch a purpose-built clinic with in vitro fertilization services for reproductive consultation.
The hospital, which had its official opening on November 12, is one of the few in Qatar offering health services specifically for women and children. The facility, whose nearly $8 billion construction cost was endowed by Qatar Foundation, has more than 50 outpatient clinics and 400 inpatient beds, expandable to 550.
The hospital’s exterior design, by New Haven, Conn.-based Pelli Clarke Pelli Architects, is distinguished by three sails that take their cue from traditional boats known as dhows, and from sand patterns in Doha “that are quite beautiful,” says Mark Shoemaker, a Principal with Pelli Clarke Pelli. “These fluid forms inspired us.”
The hospital has three massive atriums, bathed in natural light. Image; Jeff Goldberg_Esto
The sails, clad in white ceramic tile, are part of massive atriums within the building, one of which includes a garden respite. The hospital also has a mosque, an ambulatory care center, and underground parking for 1,000 cars.
The medical center is positioned as a gateway to Education City, Doha’s 1.4-square-kilometer concentration of academic, science, and sports facilities. A tunnel connects the hospital directly to Cornell Weill Medical School, one of six campuses at Education City. (Other campuses are for Texas A&M, Carnegie Mellon University, and Virginia Commonwealth.)
The construction of Education City, which debuted in 1997, and Sidra Medicine was spearheaded by Sheikha Moza bint Nasser, chairperson of Qatar Foundation and consort to Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani, Qatar’s former Emir. Her Highness has been instrumental in advancing education and social reform in her country.
Shoemaker says Pelli Clarke Pelli was brought into the project by AECOM. (He once worked for Ellerbe Beckett, which designed the first Mayo Clinic. That firm is now part of AECOM). The team unveiled its design for Sidra Medical in 2007, and construction began in 2010.
Completion of the hospital was originally slated for 2011, and then 2015. The delays, explains Shoemaker, were partly attributable to the building’s size and complexity, but also to Building Team-related changes.
The hospital employs more than 4,000 people with 85 nationalities. Image: Sidra Medical and Research Center.
At one point AECOM left the project that then switched to a design-build delivery method led by Spain-based general contractor OHL, which had been in a joint venture with Contrack International for this project since 2008. Qatar Foundation fired OHL over delays in 2014, and OHL subsequently sued the foundation. Eventually, AECOM came back into the picture.
Sidra Medicine actually has been receiving patients since January 2018, and has staggered the opening of different departments—like robotic surgery last July. Shoemaker suggests this could be because Qatar doesn’t have enough trained medical professionals to meet the needs of such a large facility, and Sidra Medical has had to fill those gaps by recruiting (with Cornell Weill’s assistance) medical personnel from outside the country, mostly the United States and Europe.
When asked what his firm took away from this project, Shoemaker says that “it gave us the opportunity to experiment with different healthcare models for rooms and lobbies.” He adds that the design also paid attention to reflect Qatar’s culture.
Related Stories
Healthcare Facilities | Nov 4, 2015
Hospital designers get the scoop on the role of innovation in healthcare
“Innovation” was the byword as 175 healthcare designers gathered in Chicago for the American College of Healthcare Architects/AIA Academy of Architecture for Health Summer Leadership Summit.
Healthcare Facilities | Nov 2, 2015
Final funding comes through to complete over-budget and behind-schedule Denver VA Medical Center
The Department of Veterans Affairs, cited for its mismanagement, is stripped of control over future major construction.
Healthcare Facilities | Oct 23, 2015
Mortenson study: Healthcare providers optimistic, but want changes to Affordable Care Act
The 2015 Mortenson Healthcare Industry Study found that 76% of providers are at least optimistic about the future of healthcare, but eight out of 10 would like to see changes made to ACA.
Healthcare Facilities | Sep 29, 2015
The ever changing physician real estate market
In the United States, the environment where outpatient healthcare is being delivered is as dynamic and diverse as the more high profile office and retail markets, writes CBRE Healthcare's Nelson Udstuen.
Healthcare Facilities | Sep 21, 2015
5 reasons healthcare organizations are implementing finish standards on construction projects
The desire for improved patient satisfaction, staff retention, and turn-key maintenance are among the top reasons more healthcare groups are implementing finish standards in their spaces, according to VOA Associates' Lauren Andrysiak.
Healthcare Facilities | Sep 11, 2015
Health Product Declaration Collaborative releases updated HPD Open Standard – Version 2.0
Advances transparent disclosure of building product contents
Healthcare Facilities | Aug 28, 2015
Hospital construction/renovation guidelines promote sound control
The newly revised guidelines from the Facilities Guidelines Institute touch on six factors that affect a hospital’s soundscape.
Healthcare Facilities | Aug 28, 2015
7 (more) steps toward a quieter hospital
Every hospital has its own “culture” of loudness and quiet. Jacobs’ Chris Kay offers steps to a therapeutic auditory environment.
Healthcare Facilities | Aug 28, 2015
Shhh!!! 6 ways to keep the noise down in new and existing hospitals
There’s a ‘decibel war’ going on in the nation’s hospitals. Progressive Building Teams are leading the charge to give patients quieter healing environments.
Mixed-Use | Aug 26, 2015
Innovation districts + tech clusters: How the ‘open innovation’ era is revitalizing urban cores
In the race for highly coveted tech companies and startups, cities, institutions, and developers are teaming to form innovation hot pockets.