Project Details
OMA together with Buro Happold were commissioned by Hamad Medical Corporation (HMC) to design the trailblazing Al Daayan Health District in Doha. The project explores the potential of modularity, prefabrication and automation in relation to the rapid changes in medical science and presents a blueprint for hospital design of the future. Squint/Opera were brought on board to create a film to communicate this revolutionary rethink of the hospital typology.
Client
OMA
Location
Doha
Sector
Architecture & Built Environment
Collaborators
Coda to Coda
The Brief
Articulate a new vision for the future of hospital design
Our Response
Our goal was to challenge the orthodoxy of hospital design by presenting a compelling new architectural approach. Squint/Opera worked closely with OMA to articulate this revolutionary complex vision transforming it into a narrative that can be understood by professionals and the general public alike.
The aesthetic of the film is inspired by the idea of the ‘hyper-sterile’ – textures and materials in the surreal interior environments take visual cues from objects like pill casings, macro views of medicine tablets and recycled plastics. This is juxtaposed with the lush romantic greenery of nature that fills courtyards and surrounds the building. Long tracking shots and a poetic voiceover draw the viewer further into this futuristic world.
Buildable at low cost, with minimum reliance on global supply chains, the Al Daayan Health District aims to establish itself as a prototype, a self-sustaining system, that adapts to any global context, and can even be built on Mars. Modularity, automation and a networked ecosystem are key themes. The project explores how 3D-printing allows for endless design variations in an architectural typology usually characterised by austerity.
In this fast-changing futurist setting, one thing remains constant – the focus on wellbeing. Offering a sense of respite and serenity, the film immerses into the hospital’s key spaces from a human perspective – from the restorative nature of courtyards to the minimal and soothing interiors.
