Cairo's new hospital will be integrated with nature

PLANS for the new Foster + Partners-designed Magdi Yacoub Global Heart Centre in Cairo have been revealed.

The 300-bed hospital will be uniquely integrated with nature in an effort to boost patient wellbeing.

Foster + Partners has designed the complex in accordance with the principles of biophilic design.

Above: The hospital has been designed to maximise its relationship with nature (image courtesy of Foster + Partners).

Biophilic design attempts to better connect people to nature and argues that we all have a physical and emotional need to integrate with the natural world and with natural materials.

The building will have a shell-inspired roof, a focus on natural light, and be surrounded by palm trees and lush vegetation while offering views of a lake and the Egyptian Pyramids.

Above: City officials have described the hospital as an oasis for those in need (image courtesy of Foster + Partners).

The ground floor will have an emergency department, a large outpatient clinic, diagnosis and treatment facilities and the rehabilitative spaces, while the first floor will house intensive care units.

Above and Below: Views of the lush vegetation outside the building  (image courtesy of Foster + Partners).

The hospital is being constructed immediately next to the Zewail City of Science and Technology university, creating an integrated health and medical research zone for Cairo.

Once complete, the hospital will provide free treatment to underprivileged Egyptians.

Header image courtesy of Foster + Partners.