Foster + Partners Begins Construction on Cairo’s New Global Heart Hospital

Foster + Partners has begun construction on the new Magdi Yacoub Global Heart Centre in Cairo, Egypt. With views of the Pyramids of Giza, the hospital site borders the Zewail City of Science and Technology as part of an integrated health and medical research zone. The design was made to respond to the needs of patients, their families and the staff that care for them while decreasing recovery times.

The Magdi Yacoub Global Heart Centre was designed as the newest outpost of the Aswan Heart Centre founded by Egyptian surgeon Sir Magdi Yacoub that provides free state-of-the-art treatment for the people of Egypt and beyond, in particular those in sub-Saharan Africa. The 300-bed hospital is being built with diagnosis and treatment facilities, including an accident and emergency department, a large outpatient clinic and rehabilitative departments. It will feature multiple courtyards, as well as a surgical department and intensive care units that are co-located.

Norman Foster, Founder and Executive Chairman, Foster + Partners said, “New Aswan Heart Centre offers state-of-the-art, free-of-charge medical services to the Egyptian people, particularly the underprivileged. Lush and verdant, this oasis of paths and parks promotes wellbeing. With its passive design strategy, it is an exemplar of sustainability, responding to the needs of patients and to its locale. We are delighted to be working with Sir Magdi Yacoub and his foundation for such a noble cause.”

The hospital will also features support spaces for families to stay while the patients recuperate, as well as classrooms and other educational spaces for medical students to engage within an active learning environment. As the team states, the design was influenced by “the psychology of colors and Egyptian history.” The second floor will include a green terrace, as well as a staff canteen, children’s nursery and other collaborative meeting spaces. In turn, the roof is defined by a series of sculptural, shell-like roof structures.