Oud Meitha Maggie Centre

American University of Sharjah, College of Architecture, art and Design, Sharjah

Project idea

This project is situated in the heart of Dubai, UAE, within an active and busy setting. It exists next to a large hospital and serves to shelter cancer patients and attempts to heal their mental and emotional health by providing an intimate and comfortable space. Over the last century, the old city has transformed from a series of forts, structures, and castles to the modern and futuristic scene now known to its residents. The infrastructure correlating with the city’s growth and advancement has created a busy, noisy, and fast-paced urban context. These issues have become an emotional and mental burden to cancer patients across the city that already suffer from physical and mental health constraints.

Project description

Not only do cancer patients have to go through a long and painful physical treatment, they also have to suffer the mental and emotional implications of its convalescence. Throughout our research we made certain discoveries that were translated into the project that were rooted from the historical features in the UAE. We were intrigued by the thick walls in the old regions in Dubai that reflect the culture of local building strategies. Its potential to create a nested yet separate space is used to shelter the cancer patients from the fast paced urban environment. The separating element becomes the nourishing and protecting instrument to the cancer patients from the different surrounding landmarks. Additionally, the thick walls had the potential to enforce views, create spaces through carving the walls, and they can divide and define different programs based on their construction and manipulation.

Another discovery was rather theoretical, as it involves the study of different external stimuli, and their effects on human behaviour and emotions. The different results of their effects on emotions, such as sound, scent, and visual stimulus, each stimulus was paired with its compatible event within the project. The research allowed us to create a programmatic division that would accompany specific gardens that became essential in the project.

Those discoveries developed more thoroughly once the landscape was designed, as the linearity of the site was explored to orient the building. The linearity also exists within the different scales of the project from large walls that extend along the site to the tiniest details within the building. The linear walls were also the dividing element when it comes to both programs and their paired gardens.

Technical information

Throughout the design, several choices were made regarding material systems and construction methods. Some of which entailed sustainability and sourcing measures and how the building systems would be affected. Ultimately, the most relevant question encompassing the project is: how can wall thickness be achieved efficiently? In the course of our research we discovered various techniques to achieve this. The result was to opt for a hybrid system of cast concrete structure, steel beams and concrete masonry blocks(CMU). It was important to make this decision as the CMU and concrete are materials that local workers would be very familiar with. Additionally, autoclaved aerated concrete (AAC) blocks were introduced due to their lightweight properties, natural ingredients, and environmentally friendly manufacturing and decomposition process.

The thick walls play a huge role in factors such as sustainability and response to environmental conditions. The relationship between the roof planes and the walls range significantly because of the varying heights, which not only allow for varying spatial conditions, but also creates shade on the roof decreasing the heat gain from solar radiation. Additionally, the walls separate the building into modulated linear units that, due to the orientation of the building, captures northern winds and allows for passive cooling to take place.