MINNEAPOLIS, Minn. – Designated to be the leading academic medical center in the Persian Gulf region, the University Hospital in Dubai Healthcare City is the latest in a series of significant international healthcare projects designed by Ellerbe Becket. Developed by Tatweer, a subsidiary of Dubai Holding, in collaboration with Harvard Medical International, the University Hospital is designed to instill modern healthcare delivery and technology with local cultural and architectural traditions, setting a new standard for integrated cultural, educational and healing environments for Dubai and the region.

“As the global leader in architecture and design for healthcare facilities, we are very excited to have been given the opportunity to design what will be the centerpiece of Dubai Healthcare City’s Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum Academic Medical Center,” said Mic Johnson, design principal for Ellerbe Becket. “The unique design of the University Hospital will help improve patients’ health and education, while serving as a catalyst for advancements in medical innovation and technology contributing to the overall healthcare community in Dubai.”

Physically connected and academically affiliated with Harvard Medical School Dubai Center, University Hospital will have the technological and intellectual resources to develop a sustainable healthcare delivery model for the region when complete in 2011. The 1.40-million square foot University Hospital will offer multidisciplinary care in addition to a wide range of healthcare specialties. University Hospital will accommodate 400 beds and will provide a mix of services including inpatient and outpatient consultations and surgeries, imaging, laboratory and invasive procedures, and non-trauma emergency care. James Kingsbury, CEO of the University Hospital, commented, “This is great recognition and accomplishment for University Hospital. The design team is an exceptional group of experienced professionals that has managed to fulfill our inspirations to produce a significant, high quality piece of Architecture and Engineering that will match our high quality of care offerings and supports healing.”

• Bed Tower – At the heart of patient care, the bed tower has the flexibility to meet shifting patient needs with universal rooms across all acute and intensive care settings. The flexible floor plates easily accommodate a variety of nursing requirements, as well as VIP and Royal Suites. Natural light filters into the bed tower, promoting a healing environment for patients and family while maintaining a professional environment for staff. An exterior skin featuring two layers of glass responds to the harsh Dubai climate, creating a comfortable interior environment by filtering sunlight and mitigating the heat of the sun.
• Diagnostic and Treatment Base – The exterior expression of the four-story base of the building uses a more historical design approach, with a glass and stone curtainwall that draws inspiration from the more traditional forms of regional architecture.
• Gardens – The adjacent Harvard Medical School Dubai Center and the University Hospital share a common landscape and garden architecture that supports healing. The gardens are connected to the University Hospital by water, which moves from the exterior of the building into interior spaces, creating a healing ambiance in both indoor and outdoor environments.
• The Educational Armature – The interior organization of the hospital is designed to connect patients and their families to healthcare resources in addition to social and educational hospital programs. Most notably, the patient and community education center will enable patients and their families to make informed decisions about their healthcare condition, treatment options and maintaining healthy lifestyles.

”University Hospital is an icon of healthcare excellence, uniquely linking patient care with education,” Johnson adds. “Ellerbe Becket designed the hospital with the highest standards in mind, incorporating the latest advances in care technology and healing in a building that fuses the best of modernism with the traditional architecture of the region.”

About Ellerbe Becket, Inc.
Founded in 1909, Ellerbe Becket is internationally recognized as a leader in the architecture, engineering, interior design and construction industries. Through its global reach and broad expertise, Ellerbe Becket has designed nearly every major building type in all 50 United States and in 20 countries. Practice areas include healthcare, master planning, prime engineering, sports, education and workplace. With $70 million in annual revenue, Ellerbe Becket employs more than 425 people worldwide and has operations in Dallas, Texas; Doha, Qatar; United Arab Emirates; Kansas City, Missouri; Minneapolis, Minnesota; San Francisco, California; and Washington, D.C.

About University Hospital
The University Hospital, part of the Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum Academic Medical Center, will function as the main tertiary care facility within Dubai Healthcare City (DHCC), reinforcing its global status as an integrated centre of excellence in clinical and wellness services, as well as medical education and research. The hospital will be located adjacent and affiliated to the Harvard Medical School Dubai Center (HMSDC), Institute for Postgraduate Education and Research. Physicians at the University Hospital will be granted academic appointments at HMSDC. Setting new benchmarks in the Middle East by bringing together diverse specialties and fostering true multidisciplinary care, the University Hospital will incorporate unique features in clinical strength through a collaborative multidisciplinary care, state-of-the-art healthcare information system with electronic medical and health records, and the most technologically-advanced complex specialties. Responding to the needs of the region, the University Hospital will offer a service mix consisting of in-patient and out-patient consultations. The hospital will open its doors to patients in 2011 with a 400-bed, 1.4 million square foot campus. The Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum Academic Medical Center will also include the Harvard Medical School Dubai Center (HMSDC), Dubai Harvard Foundation for Medical Research (DHFMR), Maktoum Harvard Library, Boston University Institute for Dental Research and Education Dubai, and the Jumeirah Creekside Park Hotel. At the core of Dubai Healthcare City’s operations, the University Hospital will drive its mission to create an internationally recognized location of choice for quality healthcare.

Contact: news@ellerbebecket.com