Sheikh Khalifa Medical City (SKMC) – A Landmark in Integrated Healthcare
Sheikh Khalifa Medical City (SKMC) was considered one of the centerpieces of the Abu Dhabi Vision 2030 and stands as a monumental three-million-square-foot, 838-bed medical complex. It’s meticulously designed to be a “City within a City” in the heart of Abu Dhabi. This ambitious endeavor transcends the conventional hospital model, creating a bustling, campus-like environment that prioritizes not only world-class medical care but also the psychological well-being of its patients and visitors. SKMC is a holistic healthcare destination, setting a new global standard for patient care, architectural innovation, and sustainable design.
A Unified Vision of Specialized Care and Community:
The new complex, designed by Skidmore, Owings & Merrill LLP (SOM) in a joint venture with ICME and Tilke GmbH & Co KG, Engineers and Architects, should replace the existing Sheikh Khalifa Medical City. Conceived as “three hospitals under one roof,” SKMC ingeniously integrates a General Hospital with a Level 1 trauma center, alongside dedicated Women’s and Pediatric Hospitals. This innovative model significantly enhances patient care through specialized services while maximizing efficiency by leveraging shared resources across the facilities. By bringing together Abu Dhabi’s flagship healthcare institutions under a single, unified roof, the complex is poised to become the undisputed epicenter of healthcare in the Emirate.
The design philosophy actively defies the typical institutional appearance of medical centers. Instead, it fosters a vibrant campus environment characterized by distinct architectural features, dynamic public spaces, and a profound sense of community. The incorporation of amenities like trees, hanging gardens, restaurants, and retail outlets provides tranquility, relief, and a comforting sense of normalcy for patients and their families.
Innovative Design and Healing Environments:
At its core, the facility features a two-story plinth that serves as a central hub for shared medical functions among the three hospitals. The ground floor will hold the adult and pediatric emergency departments, the women’s urgent care center, and all outpatient departments. At the heart of this floor, the diagnostic and treatment center efficiently serves all departments in the complex. The second floor houses inpatient and day surgery, intensive care units, and related functions.
A cornerstone of SKMC’s design is the seamless integration of healing gardens and serene public spaces throughout the complex. From meticulously landscaped entry drives to the expansive main garden level and light-filled interior courtyards that perforate the plinth, these green areas are instrumental in cultivating a truly tranquil, campus-like atmosphere that distinguishes SKMC. The main garden, majestically positioned on the plinth’s roof, offers a grand, shaded oasis, accessed from below by gracious interior and exterior stairs and activated by adjacent cafes, conference areas, and family waiting areas.
Architectural Identity and Sustainable Legacy:
Architecturally, the project masterfully balances the client’s desire to create distinct identities for each of the three hospitals, while maintaining an overall unified expression for the medical city. This cohesion is achieved through powerful “unifying” elements, such as the medical city’s heavy stone plinth, which references the ancient architecture of the region and serves as a common pedestrian-scaled expression. Above this solid base, the bed towers articulate the individual identities of each hospital within a common and overarching vocabulary. The exterior sunscreens, which characterize the bed tower facades, will vary from the simple rhythm of the general hospital to playful colors and patterns of the children’s hospital to the intricate mashrabiya-inspired geometries of the women’s hospital.
Sustainability is a paramount concern for SKMC. The medical city will utilize state-of-the-art, high-efficiency systems as well as age-old regional concepts to mitigate the extreme desert climate of Abu Dhabi. From rooftop solar collectors to the simple fabric scrims that will shade the main garden level, a comprehensive climate strategy is designed to achieve a Two Pearl certified sustainability rating within the local Estidama guidelines (Abu Dhabi’s equivalent to the US based LEED guideline). The medical city will embrace future sustainable growth by incorporating systems that harness, amplify, and support the natural environment.
The interiors are meticulously designed with the belief that “patients are guests.” Lobbies and other public spaces convey a sense of serenity through their spaciousness, the use of natural materials, and the abundance of diffused natural light, while courtyards and terraces engage building interiors with the outdoors. As a whole, the interiors will be comfortable, tranquil, and reassuring – creating a sense of calm for patients while instilling confidence that they are within the confines of a world-class healthcare institution.
