The Al Jalila Children's Specialty Hospital in Dubai aims to rethink traditional hospital design with architecture integrated into the healing process. Key principles include a child-friendly environment avoiding usual divisions, single-bed rooms, efficient layout, and family involvement. The horizontal campus design with gardens and nature supports healthcare, education, and family life for patients. Sustainable features like solar panels and water recycling lower energy costs. Scheduled to open in 2010, it will provide specialized care for 200 patients in 67,000 square meters surrounded by greenery.

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Al Jalila Children's Specialty Hospital
Future Projects - Health
Dubai, United Arab Emirates
Studio Altieri Spa, thiene, Italy
Studio Altieri International, United Arab Emirates
2009
World Architecture Festival 2009 - Category Winner
Main entrance to the hospital
The project of the “Al Jalila Children Specialty Hospital” in Dubai is a great opportunity to review the traditional
canons of the Hospital design, applying innovative concepts where the architecture is strongly integrated with the
child healing process. In fact, the main objective of excellence in healthcare services is supported with some
architectural principles that enhance the therapeutic performance of the institution.
These principles can be listed below:
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2. • a friendly hospital concept avoiding the usual division between healthcare structures and community.
• a rational functional layout
• single bed rooms
• well connected departments reducing the time of connection between them
• application of international standards
• a Family centred structure that allows the continuous integration between patient and family during the entire care
process
• a child friendly structure
The “Al Jalila Children Specialty Hospital” design approach accomplishes these principles through the realization of
a horizontal model, allowing a strong integration between services and wards units.
In addition, a flexible structure permits changes and expandability in the future and therefore to satisfy evolving
medical needs. All of this will allow to offer the same quality of healthcare services.
The integration of nature is not only intended for decoration but mainly to make it a relevant element for healing
treatments.
The children are intended as unique and individuals with their own specialized needs. The new hospital creates for
them a kid and family size place in a safety environment, encouraging the family support, stimulating children
senses and constant education.
Balanced spaces, greenery and fresh air ventilation, contributes for a playful and supportive atmosphere creating a
feeling between child and hospital. Playing as a way of pain reduction is essential for emotive, stress and anxiety
control using innovative interactive technologies.
A place that stimulates the participation and the imagination of the children in terms of visual sense, touchable and
interactive surfaces, sinuous and fantastic shapes, integrating music, art, nature and pets as a health and wellness
encourage. Motivating skin to skin relationships, this design becomes also an important tool for the staff that can
operate in a pleasant environment.
This innovative layout contains spaces dedicated to involve family and caregivers allowing them to continue their
normal life sitting beside the child.
The use of natural light, greenery and healing landscape guarantee high level of indoor air quality enhancing noise
barriers and creates a pleasant environment. The nature is accessible through the gardens and all the internal
circulation is easy and intuitive way finding.
The Energy Saving strategies for this building have been treated using different constructive solutions that allows
sensible reductions in the global energy consumption. For example the active wall facade system using the HVAC
aspiration system creates an internal flow inside the cell facade maintaining the room temperature and comfort
stable during the day reducing major cost for energy generation, especially considering the temperature average in
this country. Gardens in the terraces and in the top roof will provide a great sun insulation with the added value of
pleasant areas for inpatients and staff outdoor activities.
More than 5000 sqm of solar panels located in the roof of the hospital and covering the parking places, will provide
enough energy to satisfy the autonomy of certain systems of the building. In addition, the water treatment concept,
will provide also the possibility to reduce the general need reusing the water for other purposes like toilet reuse or
irrigation.
"Al Jalila Children Specialty Hospital" will provide tertiary and quaternary highly specialized health care assistance
for 200 inpatients, 40 intensive care inpatients plus 6 dialysis beds in a total area of 67.000 sqm of new structure
completely surrounded by greenery and gardens. Located in an area of 98.000 sqm inside the exiting Al Wasl
Hospital Campus, this stand alone structure is composed by 1 basement plus four levels providing also
accommodations for families and three royal suites dedicated for the Royal Family.
More than 50.000 sqm of external terraces and gardens dedicated for public and inpatients and 210 underground
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3. parking places and 260 external parking places complete the general project.
DATE:
Competition: 12/2008
Design Development: 07/2009
State: Under construction
Inauguration scheduled: end of 2010
ESTIMATED COST: € 200M
Lead Architect »
Professional Credits »
Architect
Mr Giulio Altieri
Studio Altieri International
United Arab Emirates
Architect
Mr Luca Cerutti
Studio Altieri Spa
Italy
Architect
Mr Lucas Fornari
Studio Altieri Spa
Italy
Chief architect
Mr Alberto Altieri
Studio Altieri International
United Arab Emirates
Civil Engineer
Mr Paolo Muffato
Studio Altieri Spa
Italy
Client / Developer
DUBAI HEALTH AUTHORITY
United Arab Emirates
Health management
Mr Salah Fakhouri
studio altieri international
United Arab Emirates
Hydraulic Engineer
Mr Carlo Altieri
Studio Altieri Spa
Italy
Landscape Architect
Mrs Valentina Altieri
Studio Altieri Spa
Italy
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4. Local consultant
Mr Adnan Saffarini
Saffarini Office
United Arab Emirates
Project Manager
Mr Francesco Viero
Studio Altieri Spa
Italy
Staff Architect
Mr Alessandro StefanuttiHome | Contact Us | Ts & Cs | Sitemap © 2008 World Buildings Directory. All rights reserved. Site by Frontmedia
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