The hospital of the Future, according to OMA

OMA and Squint/Opera have released the video of a prototype for a low-rise hospital that explores the potential of modularity, prefabrication, and automation in relation to the rapid changes occurring in medical science.
Designed by OMA together with BuroHappold, the prototype is the result of the research for the Al Daayan Health District Masterplan, commissioned by Hamad Medical Corporation (HMC).

OMA_Al Daayan Medical District_copyright © HMC

In the context of rapidly advancing medical innovation, a rethink of the hospital becomes an urgent priority. The Al Daayan Health District presents the perfect opportunity. Located on a 1.3-million-sqm virgin site between Qatar University and the new Lusail City, it offers the possibility for a new symbiosis between architecture and medical science.

OMA_Al Daayan Medical District_copyright © HMC

A tertiary teaching hospital, a women’s and children’s hospital and an ambulatory diagnostics center, with a total capacity of 1,400 beds are joined into a single structure. Clinical facilities occupy the first floor; bed wards are located on the ground floor, reducing the dependency on elevators and allowing patients to enjoy the complex’s generous gardens – healing spaces with a long history in Islamic medical architecture.

OMA_Al Daayan Medical District_copyright © HMC.

OMA_Al Daayan Medical District_copyright © HMC.

Cross-shaped modular units, prefabricated onsite, can be reconfigured and expanded with minimal disruption to ongoing processes, significantly lowering the cost of future adaptations. 3D-printing allows for endless variations in the design of the facades, reintroducing ornament in an architectural typology usually characterized by austerity. A high-tech farm supplies food and medical plants for the local production of medicine. All supporting facilities are connected to the hospitals by an automated underground circulation system. A dedicated logistics center and solar farm enable the district to function autonomously.

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The Al Daayan Health District was commissioned by Hamad Medical Corporation, Qatar’s premier not-for-profit healthcare provider. Buildable at low cost, with minimum reliance on global supply chains, it aims to establish itself as a prototype which can be adopted globally – an alternative to prevailing hospital models developed in the West.

The video has been produced by Squint/Opera. The research involved Henning Larsen, Michel Desvigne Paysagiste, Spaceagency, ETL, De Leeuw Group and Engineering Consultants Group.

Hamad Medical Corporation (HMC) is the main provider of secondary and tertiary healthcare in Qatar, and one of the leading hospital providers in the Middle East.

The project for the Al Daayan Health District is led by OMA Partner Reinier de Graaf, Project Manager Alex de Jong and Project Architect Kaveh Dabiri.

Press Release, courtesy of © OMA