Centro Hospitalario Serena Del Mar is Safdie Architects’ first project in Latin America

The new Centro Hospitalario Serena del Mar (CHSM), the first hospital designed by Safdie Architects and the firm’s first project to open in Latin America, will provide a critical new resource for Cartagena, Colombia and the Caribbean region.

The hospital anchors the Safdie Architects-designed masterplan for the El Gran Canal civic district within Serena del Mar, a new 2,500-acre city currently in development on the Caribbean coast just north of Cartagena. CHSM is the first public-facing institution to open in the master-planned city, establishing Cartagena’s first full-service medical institution.

The teaching hospital offers comprehensive human-centered medical care and is premised on the notion that access to nature and daylight is vital to creating improved therapeutic experiences for patients, families, and staff. The hospital began a phased open to the public earlier this year with 158 beds. Phase 1 of the hospital comprises approximately 575,870 sf.

CHSM courtyard

CHSM is conceived as a garden hospital overlooking a lake. The design offers patients, staff, and families access to a diverse array of gardens throughout the building including a linear bamboo courtyard, a healing garden associated with cancer treatment, and a series of lakeside gardens connected by a waterfront promenade.

Inpatient facilities are housing in five wings designed with shallow floor plates to maximize the spaces with direct proximity to windows, daylight, and views of the surrounding lake, hills, gardens, and courtyards. Even in areas such as emergency rooms, labs, and clinics, daylight and views to nature are maintained.

When 100% complete, CHSM will service the region with over 400 hospital beds. The completed project will span 753,480-sf of hospital facilities and gardens.

Rural hospitals present unique opportunities and challenges for healthcare facility operators. Oftentimes, the infrastructure and building systems have not been updated for years and require significant improvements in order to meet today’s modern medical demands. Additionally, as these smaller, more remote hospitals are acquired by larger regional and national healthcare systems, the first step by new ownership is often to update and rehabilitate the building. But how can this be done thoughtfully, economically, and efficiently in ways that allow the engineering and facility staff to adapt to the changes? And how can the updates accurately reflect the specific needs of rural communities and the afflictions with which these areas most commonly face?

Healthcare Facilities | Dec 7, 2021

Wheeler Kearns Architects completes Howard Brown Health’s Broadway Youth Center in Chicago

The new facility will provide medical and social service programs to LGBTQI+ youth.

Healthcare Facilities | Nov 23, 2021

Why vertical hospitals might be the next frontier in healthcare design

In this article, we’ll explore the opportunities and challenges of high-rise hospital design, as well as the main ideas and themes we considered when designing the new medical facility for the heart of London.

Healthcare Facilities | Nov 2, 2021

Key design considerations for designing the smart patient room

The complete patient experience encompasses the journey to the hospital, the care experience, and the trip back home. All these touchpoints come with an expectation.

Pictured: Boulder Community Health’s West Medical Building, Lafayette, Colo. Photo: 2020 Caleb Tkach

Cladding and Facade Systems | Oct 26, 2021

14 projects recognized by DOE for high-performance building envelope design

The inaugural class of DOE’s Better Buildings Building Envelope Campaign includes a medical office building that uses hybrid vacuum-insulated glass and a net-zero concrete-and-timber community center.