Singapore’s Energy Efficient Green Heart Center
by Haily Zaki
The very heart of Singapore beats green, thanks to the new design for the National Heart Center by multinational firm Broadway Malyan. The ambitious 35,299 square-meter building at the center of Singapore General Hospital’s Outram Campus redevelopment plan will hopefully score high green marks with its unique design that places people first. Recognizing that the medical world advances quite quickly, the design incorporates modular building methods to ensure that the structure of the building remains flexible and adaptable both internally and externally, easily and efficiently allowing for future growth.
Visitors to the National Heart Center will arrive via a convivial and naturally lit concourse and reception area. The first six floors of the building will contain facilities for day surgery, operating theaters, clinics, laboratories, radiology, and retail centers, while levels seven to ten will be reserved for non-patient areas, including medical records, research laboratories, staff training, and administrative offices.
Great floating green gardens, reminiscent of the medicinal courtyards of the Middle Ages, are meant to provide social connectivity and expedite the process of healing by offering patients healthy doses of natural light, ventilation, and views. The plants also act as carbon filters and help reduce the heat island effect, an important feature in a city that crams over 4 million into a 265-square mile area. The building is oriented around these communal internal spaces to encourage human interaction.
Demolition is expected to begin in September 2009, and the £73 million Heart Center is expected to be completed in Spring 2012.
