The new 9 million-square-foot campus located on a gently sloping, 35-acre site in Giza’s Sheikh Zayed City, situated approximately 17 miles west of central Cairo will not only serve as the largest comprehensive cancer center in the middle East, Africa and Europe but also a tourist site for tourist looking at the edifice of the institute.
In a press release by the Egyptian National Cancer Institute Unveils New Plan for Medical Campus, it indicated that the design of the New National Cancer Institute is shaped by client goals, diverse uses, climatic considerations, and phasing flexibility, creating a unified system of functional modules that include inpatient, outpatient, and research units. These components are organized among landscaped courtyards and are connected by discrete visitor and staff circulation spines.
The system will facilitates clarity, order, and cohesion across the sizable campus, while placing nature at the center of the healing environment. Skidmore Owings & Merrill (SOM) rigorous architectural plan is reflected in the physical manifestation of the campus, which features a dialogue between vernacular and modern architecture. Modular building blocks are clad in local stone to convey strength and permanence, and courtyards placed throughout the site build upon a regional tradition of connecting users to shaded outdoor space.
Meanwhile, the circulation spines’ faceted glass skins represent lightness and modernity. Both glass and stone surfaces are marked with abstracted Egyptian patterns. The result not only fosters familiarity and comfort for patients and visitors, but also projects the state-of-the-art status of the New National Cancer Institute.
Construction which commenced in 2015 targeted at LEED Gold and was designed to U.S. medical planning standards was designed by Skidmore, Owings & Merrill LLP (SOM), will allow the institute to deliver life changing services to 1.7 million patients from all economic strata per year.
The project is targeting LEED Gold and is designed to U.S. medical planning standards.
The multidisciplinary facility combines a 1,000-bed teaching hospital and outpatient facility with a research center, conference and training center, faculty and scientific center, nursing and medical technicians’ training institutes, hotel, and housing for both residents and students. SOM’s design endeavors to integrate and unite this community of caregivers, scientists, educators, and students in their common cause of curing cancer and serving all patients, including the most economically disadvantaged will be a great tourist destination to travelers to have a view of the world’s largest comprehensive cancer center
According to Skidmore Owings & Merrill (SOM), the design of the New National Cancer Institute is shaped by client goals, diverse uses, climatic considerations, and phasing flexibility, creating a unified system of functional modules that include inpatient, outpatient, and research units. These components are organized among landscaped courtyards and are connected by discrete visitor and staff circulation spines.
“The physical image of the campus reflects its rigorous planning and expresses a conversation between vernacular and modern architecture. The functional building modules are clad in stone to convey strength and permanence, and courtyards throughout the campus build upon the local tradition of connecting occupants to shaded outdoor space. Meanwhile, the circulation spines’ faceted glass skins represent lightness and modernity, and both glass and stone surfaces feature abstract patterning inspired by historic Egyptian iconography. The scheme engenders familiarity and comfort, yet assures patients and visitors of the New National Cancer Institute’s state-of-the-art status.
“Design of the New National Cancer Institute is a true SOM collaboration. Under the leadership of its Health, Science, Education Studio, SOM is serving as architect and master planner and providing medical planning, interior design, and structural engineering services for the campus. The Health, Science, Education Studio is a powerful incubator of interdisciplinary solutions that, in addition to orchestrating SOM’s diverse talents and resources for NCI, recently designed the three-million-square-foot Sheikh Khalifa Medical City in Abu Dhabi and completed the Mount Sinai Hess Center for Science and Medicine in New York,” the SOM explained.
Source: Nana Agyei Sikapa Ofosu-Manu
