The design extends the US-based Cleveland Clinic model of care, providing a range of tertiary and quaternary medical services which will bring world-class healthcare to Abu Dhabi and the adjacent region.
Cleveland Clinic is located at Al Maryah Island in the heart of Abu Dhabi’s new central business district. The facility has 364 beds which can be expanded to 490 beds. The entire facility is divided into five departments: Digestive Disease; Eye, Heart and Vascular; Neurological; Respiratory; and Critical Care. The hospital will be a physician-led medical facility served by western-trained, board-certified physicians.
The campus will feature verdant gardens, glowing double-skinned patient tower, distinctive diamond-glazing, modern interiors and colourful massing. The design is overlaid with a suite of cultural references of Abu Dhabi. The colour palette represents surrounding natural elements, such as the turquoise of the Gulf waters and the array of neutrals of the desert, while interior patterns and motifs reflect the local vernacular, as seen in Arabesque patterned screen elements throughout the building.
The architectural form of the hospital is unique as each healthcare component is expressed in an individual architecture form, which is arranged to express the continuum of healthcare— the Cleveland Clinic model. The blocks are elegantly stacked around a central reflecting pool with the entire design literally and figuratively founded on water, a universally recognized source and symbol of serenity and healing. This grouping of blocks creates efficiencies for the staff and wayfinding for visitors, replacing winding hallways with sleek glass walkways. These walkways connect the inpatient spaces with the 340-exam room outpatient clinic, 210 faculty offices, conference centre, simulation centre and administrative building.
The interior concept is based on blurring the lines between hospital and hospitality. The interior materials such as glistening onyx and warm, rich wood tones soften and anchor the interior to the exterior. Indoor water elements impart white noise to calm patients and provide a sense of tranquility, while green spaces boost mental alertness and create gathering areas that reinforce the hospital’s sense of community. The patient rooms are intentionally designed with large family spaces and amenities to involve the family in the healing process. Many windows with views of lush rooftop gardens and the Arabian Sea provide a soothing atmosphere that advances wellness and recovery.
The entire facility is designed following LEED Gold principles. The most notable sustainable design feature is the double-glass curtain wall, which is expected to be the first-ever utilized in a hospital. The curtain wall creates a stack or “lung” effect, allowing the building to “breathe.” The process works by strategically placing the mechanical floor at the bottom of the hospital tower, exhausting cool air previously used within the hospital from the bottom of the tower to the stack between the double curtain wall and eventually out through the roof. This exhaust creates a protective buffer between outside air and the interior of the building. Moreover, air is cooled in a tripartite approach using sea water, heat reclamation, and used cool air is exhausted through the five-foot-wide space between the two glass curtains walls.
Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi is being developed by Mubadala Development, a government-owned investment and development company, and operated by Cleveland Clinic. Key team members are Aldar Properties—Development manager, HDR—Design architect, AEDAS—Architect, Sixco-Samsung (joint venture)—General contractor, and AECOM—Building-engineering services.
