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$1.2bn Kuwait hospital set for March opening

KUWAIT, December 14, 2017

About 70 per cent of the work at the New Jahra Hospital, a $1.2-billion development taking shape on a 440,000-sq-m area in Kuwait, has been completed and the 1,171-bed facility is on track for completion by March next year.

One of the largest healthcare projects in the Middle East, New Jahra Hospital is a 15-storey complex being developed by the Amiri Diwan.

The project, which started in March 2015, is part of Kuwait’s national health plan aimed at allocating 22 beds for every 10,000 people by 2030.
 
Pace is the project consultant and Kharafi Construction (MAK) is the contractor for the new hospital which is being built on land adjacent to the existing Jahra Hospital, one of Kuwait’s six main public hospitals.

Unlike typical hospitals, the main components of the new complex are not all clustered in one zone. Spaces for diagnosis and treatment clinics, emergency and outpatient services, operation rooms (ORs), and inpatient beds are well arranged in a form that services the function and circulation of building users, where the main lobby becomes an open walkway that provides easy movement and access, Tarek Shuaib, the CEO of Pace, told Gulf Construction.

The architectural design concept is based on introducing the external element of nature into the internal environment to contribute to the treatment and healing of the patients, he said. Green areas and interior spaces play an active part in reinforcing this approach, he stated.

The New Jahra Hospital will offer 156 beds for female patients, 98 for the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU), 168 paediatric beds and 749 for adults, in addition to three VIP suites.

The hospital will feature a fully-equipped dental facility with 115 treatment rooms, a regional health administration building and associated parking structures, a central utility plant, and infrastructure, he added.

The overall medical complex comprises eight separate buildings. The main hospital building will provide all secondary care clinical specialties as well as select tertiary care services, complemented by all clinical and non-clinical support, general administrative departments and services, said Shuaib in the interview.

A helipad is located on the rooftop of the diagnostic and treatment block, right above the emergency department’s trauma section, he revealed.

The internal spaces are created around a five-storey-high central atrium and include a number of newly developed medical facilities and health services, a diagnosis and treatment wing, as well as outpatient clinics in the western wing.

The patient wards occupy 14 storeys in the east wing, along with private patient rooms and a diagnosis and treatment area. It is well serviced with adequate elevators and escalators for patients and for the transfer of cleaning and waste services.

It will boast service buildings including a public car-park with a total built-up area of 105,000 sq m covering a basement, ground, and five upper levels and accommodating 3,000 cars, said Shuaib while speaking to Gulf Construction.

He said staff will be provided 1,660 parking slots in a separate building that will consist of a basement, ground, and five upper levels involving a total built-up area of 61,300 sq m. Each of these parking areas will provide emergency shelter for 300 people in the basement.

The entire site will be served by a central utility plant while two major electrical stations (132/11 kV) will be constructed in coordination with the Ministry of Electricity and Water, he added.

According to Shuaib, the hospital’s facades reflect Pace’s innovative and design proficiency of using sunlight breakers as shading to control Kuwait’s direct harsh sunlight.

“Pace’s approach will manage and balance the exact amount of natural light needed inside the building. This will lead to clear vision to pathways and internal movement circulation to provide a healthy atmosphere, especially when accommodating a large number of visitors in a hospital of this size,” he noted.

Shuaib pointed out that an additional visual enhancement to the New Jahra Hospital will be the spectacular views overlooking the neighbouring farms from the wards in all four towers, whilst maintaining adequate privacy and tranquility for patient recovery.

The hospital structure is substantially precast with the exteriors mostly comprising glass and reinforced concrete, he added.-TradeArabia News Service




Tags: Kuwait | Hospital | Healthcare | Pace consultant |

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