Almoosa Specialist Hospital

Almoosa Specialist Hospital was founded in 1996 through the determination of a father seeking medical care for his young daughter, Sarah. Rather than accept local doctor recommendations to treat a leg tumor with amputation, he and Sarah travelled overseas to Boston where surgeons removed the tumor and saved her leg. Almoosa Specialist Hospital is motivated to give the same world-class care to the Al Ahsa region of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, where the hospital is a beacon of hope. The community of Al Ahsa lives in eastern Saudi Arabia within the largest oasis in the world. Rooted in the harsh desert landscape, Almoosa Specialist Hospital is an oasis unto itself, a place of community and healing. The new 17-story North Tower is the tallest hospital in Saudi Arabia. Inspired by the local Sidra tree, the tower’s design expresses the tree’s legacy of healing and community protection. For centuries, the Sidra tree has served as a desert town square, hosting community gatherings large and small beneath its canopy’s shade. Fruits and flowers of the tree provide the community with sustenance and its leaves are known for their healing properties. Sweeping curves of the project’s design reference the Sidra tree and interior architecture supports healing through biophilic design. Like the canopy of the Sidra tree, design features offer protection and beauty. Visitors enter beneath a canopy of dappled light into an atrium veiled by wood louvers and petrified moss. Through the multi-story screen, visitors glimpse a gracious lobby and café, retail, and event spaces that extend a welcoming invitation to the entire community. Dimensional wood panels found on information desks and the elevator core are a stylized interpretation of the Sidra trunk, creating memorable landmarks for wayfinding. Pathways through the public realm are intended to meander against soft edges and around intimate moments of pause. Handblown glass “branches” reach across the atrium ceiling, stemming from a central fluted column. The tree-like form creates a magical atmosphere to comfort patients and family members who have arrived to heal or visit with loved ones. Thoughtful sensory design within waiting lounges creates a sense of calm, organized with small-scale groupings and screened areas, sound absorptive materials, the biophilic qualities of organic patterns in carpeting and textiles, murals of natural landscapes, and layers of light. Some floors offer outdoor terraces with panoramic vistas of the Al Ahsa, allowing visitors and caregivers to enjoy cool breezes from a sky garden oasis. Natural materials support a healing atmosphere both in appearance and practice. A natural material palette of wood, glass, stone, metal, and other materials derived or inspired from nature defies common practice of using synthetic materials in healthcare environments. Rubber flooring in clinical and patient spaces offers acoustical and underfoot comfort. Wood casework and comfortable furnishings make patient rooms feel like home. A Sidra leaf, etched onto the glass headwall, is a nod to the legacy of healing care.