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 | Dec 7, 2023
New $650 million Baptist Health Care complex opens in Pensacola
Baptist Health Care’s new $650 million healthcare complex opened recently in Pensacola, Fla. Featuring a 10-story, 268-bed hospital, the project “represents the single-largest investment in the healthcare history of northwest Florida,” said Gresham Smith project executive Robert “Skip” Yauger, AIA, LEED AP. The 602,000 sf Baptist Hospital is equipped with a Level II trauma center that provides 61 exam rooms and three triage areas.
Engineers | Nov 27, 2023
Kimley-Horn eliminates the guesswork of electric vehicle charger site selection
Private businesses and governments can now choose their new electric vehicle (EV) charger locations with data-driven precision. Kimley-Horn, the national engineering, planning, and design consulting firm, today launched TREDLite EV, a cloud-based tool that helps organizations develop and optimize their EV charger deployment strategies based on the organization’s unique priorities.
Healthcare Facilities | Nov 3, 2023
The University of Chicago Medicine is building its city’s first freestanding cancer center with inpatient and outpatient services
The University of Chicago Medicine (UChicago Medicine) is building Chicago’s first freestanding cancer center with inpatient and outpatient services. Aiming to bridge longstanding health disparities on Chicago’s South Side, the $815 million project will consolidate care and about 200 team members currently spread across at least five buildings. The new facility, which broke ground in September, is expected to open to patients in spring 2027.
Sponsored | | Oct 17, 2023
The Evolution of Medical Facility Security
As the healthcare system grows, securing these facilities becomes ever more challenging. Increasingly, medical providers have multiple facilities within their networks, making traditional keying systems and credentialing impractical.
Healthcare Facilities | Oct 11, 2023
Leveraging land and light to enhance patient care
GBBN interior designer Kristin Greeley shares insights from the firm's latest project: a cancer center in Santa Fe, N.M.
Healthcare Facilities | Oct 9, 2023
Design solutions for mental health as a secondary diagnosis
Rachel Vedder, RA, LEED AP, Senior Architect, Design Collaborative, shares two design solutions for hospitals treating behavioral health patients.
Giants 400 | Oct 5, 2023
Top 115 Healthcare Construction Firms for 2023
Turner Construction, Brasfield & Gorrie, JE Dunn Construction, DPR Construction, and McCarthy Holdings top BD+C's ranking of the nation's largest healthcare sector contractors and construction management (CM) firms for 2023, as reported in Building Design+Construction's 2023 Giants 400 Report. Note: This ranking includes revenue related to all healthcare buildings work, including hospitals, medical office buildings, and outpatient facilities.
Giants 400 | Oct 5, 2023
Top 90 Healthcare Engineering Firms for 2023
Jacobs, WSP, IMEG, BR+A, and Affiliated Engineers head BD+C's ranking of the nation's largest healthcare sector engineering and engineering/architecture (EA) firms for 2023, as reported in Building Design+Construction's 2023 Giants 400 Report. Note: This ranking includes revenue related to all healthcare buildings work, including hospitals, medical office buildings, and outpatient facilities.
Giants 400 | Oct 5, 2023
Top 175 Healthcare Architecture Firms for 2023
HDR, HKS, CannonDesign, Stantec, and SmithGroup top BD+C's ranking of the nation's largest healthcare sector architecture and architecture/engineering (AE) firms for 2023, as reported in Building Design+Construction's 2023 Giants 400 Report. Note: This ranking includes revenue related to all healthcare buildings work, including hospitals, medical office buildings, and outpatient facilities.
Adaptive Reuse | Sep 19, 2023
Transforming shopping malls into 21st century neighborhoods
As we reimagine the antiquated shopping mall, Marc Asnis, AICP, Associate, Perkins&Will, details four first steps to consider.