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Background

The New IbnSina Hospital of Rabat is designed as a healthcare facility open to all and is strategically placed to welcome visitors and patients from around Rabat. The hospital is not just a place for healing, but a true civic icon that creates a campus for public gatherings, a place to play, a place to learn, and a place to relax. The intent for the landscape and architecture is to connect into the fabric of the city and surrounding areas. To achieve this connection the hospital plan was opened-up to allow for interior landscaped courtyards and achieving a low podium height, creating the sense of a “tower in the garden.” A landscaped pedestrian deck covers and separates the vehicular drop-off area below, creating a seamless landscaped pedestrian gesture extending from the nearby Hilton Forest. The buildings podium and tower are wrapped in a seamless façade that creates a visually cohesive form and sense of dynamic movement on the horizon, where the slender building form appears to rise out of the ground. Interior light-wells and an optimized façade of panels help to create appropriately naturally-lit interior public spaces and patient rooms enhancing enhanced daylight quality and human comfort.

Future of Healthcare

The New Ibn Sina Hospital of Rabat distinguishes itself from other healthcare projects in the depth of analysis and study that went into the planning and design of the project. Technical aspects such as the analysis in conjunction with the natural Moroccan landscape create a healthcare project that strives for both beauty and performance; to be a visually awe-inspiring beacon within the city for it’s citizens and an efficient and optimized healthcare facility. The design of the hospital and surrounding campus strive to connect architecture and landscape to create a place of healing where patients are connected to the outdoors.

A New Dimension of Engagement

To bring this project to life, HKS architects proposed the concept of a seed planted that then slowly rises from the ground into the sky. As it rises it gains strength and functionality, becoming a landmark in the city. This idea was the basis for the design of this building. By uniting three existing separate hospitals into one building, it becomes a symbol for unity and strength.

The facility consists of a variety of different components, each of them one part of a larger holistic health care environment. The design treats them as equals and joins them under one roof, allowing opportunities for synergy and collaboration for the staff as well as convenience in access to health care for the patient.

At the center of the facility is a large public atrium with a great landscaped park, from which all programmatic components radiate out. The park reaches back into the surrounding area, linking the facility to its neighborhood and Ibn Sina University. The atrium serves as the fundamental organizational element for the building and simplifies wayfinding. It connects the building to the city. One side of the atrium is dedicated to ambulatory outpatient functions, while the other becomes the large diagnostic and treatment block. The sparkling patient tower is situated above it.

The Heart Center becomes part of the building and is located within the large diagnostic and treatment block, allowing synergies and efficiency by leveraging the modalities and services of the block. The Heart Center is recognized as a model of excellence with its own identity, which is established in the design by giving it its own dedicated drop-off, entrance, and vertical circulation system.

The education center enjoys a similar status. Becoming an integral part of the building emphasizes the importance of scientific excellence within the health care system. Its location will allow all functions of a true academic medical center – diagnose, treat, teach and research – to occur seamlessly within the same building.

The Design Impact

Rabat Ibn Sina Hospital is positioned to be the largest general hospital in Morroco at 139,640 square meters (1.50 million square feet) and was delivered with a forward-thinking design that incorporates state-of-the-art technology and energy conservation.