Named in honour of the late Sheikh Hamdan Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, the 603,000-square-foot hospital will house 50 clinics; 30 clinical trial areas; 60 infusion rooms; ten urgent care rooms; five radiotherapy rooms; and 116 inpatient beds to meet current and future levels of demand. Featuring 19 gardens, green space will be placed throughout the hospital campus, creating a healing space for patients and their families.

Focused on creating a healthy space, the hospital will be designed to LEED Gold standard, recognising building strategy best practices in sustainability, as well as meeting criteria set by the WELL Building Standard, developed by the International WELL Building Institute. 

Stantec is supporting the hospital’s shift in care delivery, moving from a traditional inpatient model to an ambulatory model of care. This includes integrating primary care with diagnosis and treatment to offer detection and intervention at earlier stages of the patient’s journey.

As part of Dubai Health, said to be the first integrated academic health system in Dubai, the cancer hospital will benefit from a multidisciplinary team, including specialised nursing, offering patients a full spectrum of care services in one location – from early diagnosis to treatment and supportive care. In keeping with Dubai Health’s ‘Patient First’ promise, select treatments and services will be made available to patients in the comfort of their homes, ensuring an easy and accessible continuum of care.

Research and clinical trials will also be at the heart of the hospital, creating opportunities to deliver better patient outcomes through personalised, patient-centric, evidence-based care.

“Our design draws inspiration from the Ghaf tree, the UAE’s national tree and a symbol of life, peace, and tolerance,” said David Martin, global design director for Stantec.

“The tree often possesses a twisted geometry, reflected in how the new cancer hospital is composed – lower and raised blocks, gently twisted, and including a large court as a centre of gravity and focal point. A small grove of Ghaf trees in the square will provide a memorable sense of place and symbolise the rich contribution Hamdan Bin Rashid has made to the health of the community.”

Reflecting the centre of life, the new cancer hospital will draw in natural daylight while integrating direct contact with nature for the entire community. The hospital and future phased campus development are focused around promoting the new Hamdan Bin Rashid Square as the heart of a new mini campus, which aims to reduce the institutional feel and destigmatise the patient experience.

The Al Jalila Foundation leads the giving mission of Dubai Health. It has received donations of about AED 1.2 billion, which will be invested in developing the new hospital.