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16.06.12

Dato Onn Specialist Hospital

The iconic new medical complex for KPJ, the largest healthcare provider in Malaysia, aims to provide a mixed use facility that will cater to all the needs of a growing international medical market in Malaysia. The design consists of several wings or centres of excellence which will host different medical services (e.g. oncology, cardiology). While located on a compact site just off the motorway linking Kuala Lumpur and Singapore, the design incorporates several tactics to allow the building to expand overtime. Approximately 70% of phase I will be fitted out to suit the current needs allowing the remaining floors to be fitted out as needed. In addition, the design allows for two additional wings (fingers) to be constructed at a later date and integrated easily into the ‘healing hand’ concept. Additional growth capacity is also incorporated into the design of the multi-storey car park which could be converted into accommodations with its matching floor to floor height. While the wings are not identical in spatial configuration, they remain similar enough (plant room location, cores and vertical circulation) to satisfy the needs of different medical practices and include the provision of ‘soft’ spaces to allow organisations to grow internally as well.

 

Rationalised room sizes, standardised grid layout and modular façade design all aid in the legibility of the design and its capacity to adapt to changing needs. The double skin consists of a changeable curtain wall system with a mesh screen positioned a metre away to allow for maintenance of the inner façade and hide the air con units of the offices as well. Windows are designed in strips which can be changed easily (size, material) to reflect changes in the use and room configurations behind them. Services are separated by each wing allowing for smaller units and ducts to be implemented while the air conditioning system is localised on each floor so that individual control is maximised for each department.

Images courtesy of Nightingale Associates

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