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Glass-rich multi-volume Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi on track to complete next year
Construction on the HDR-designed Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi is progressing with pace in the UAE, with the 364-bed hospital due to open at the end of 2013. Located at Abu Dhabi’s new Central Business District on Al Maryah Island, the new healthcare facility is both symbolically and literally founded on water. The colour palette used throughout the Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi draws from the neutral hues of the desert surroundings and the bright turquoise of the waters in the Gulf.
Aside from its serene colour palette, the defining characteristics of HDR’s design are the diamond glazing that envelopes its façade and a double-skinned patient tower. Renderings and a virtual fly-through suggest a glittering angular form comprised of a number of interlocking volumes, the majority of which sport glinting glass facades. There are also plans for a series of Arabesque patterned screen elements which give a cultural flavour to the project.
Lead HDR designer on the project Mohammed Ayoub explains: “The term ‘hospital of the future’ is used quite often, but I can’t imagine another facility that reflects the phrase more than the Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi. It’s a building that blends cutting-edge technology, evidence-based design, world-class care, and Arabic culture with elegant architecture - creating a facility that looks more like a seven-star hotel than a hospital.”
As Ayoub suggests, the feel of the hospital is rather luxurious, with key volumes arranged around a sparkling pool in the centre of the complex, ‘a universally recognised source and symbol of serenity and healing’. In total, the hospital will have five separate institutes: Digestive Disease; Eye, Heart and Vascular; Neurological; Respiratory; and Critical Care. There will also be a 340-exam room outpatient clinic, 210 faculty offices, a conference centre, simulation centre and admin building.
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