The OAA awards are judged based on the following criteria: creativity, context, sustainability, good design/good business and legacy. The Assuta Medical Center demonstrates all of these qualities.

In response to the context and inspired by traditional Mediterranean hillside villages, the architects differentiated the building mass: public spaces and clinical services form a technical base with inpatient rooms above. In the old hospital, the central garden connected all uses; however, this circular concept could not be implemented on the narrow site. Instead, a “U”-shaped spine anchors the program while acting as the main wayfinding device. An angled cut at the base marks the main entrance from the street. The spine then draws circulation through the building, alongside Hayarkon Park and back to the street.

Conceived as a healing village sitting atop a cavernous rock, the composition comprises a visually light white mass sitting on a heavy, red stone base. The red stone continues inside the building, defining public spaces that evoke rock passageways of the city of Petra, Jordan. Spiritual wellness is centred in the “contemplation space”, a room floating between the park and the public atrium. The plinth, designed to function as a bomb shelter, is a visual and metaphorical weight in contrast to the upper bedrooms with their numerous windows. Found in translation, the architecture resolves cultural, physical and programming challenges.

About Zeidler Partnership Architects: www.zeidler.com
Established in 1880, Zeidler Partnership Architects is a leading Canadian architectural firm that brings the experience of over 200 professionals in Toronto and seven offices worldwide. Senior partners Tarek El-Khatib and Vaidila Banelis and six partners lead a dedicated team that pursues quality as the foundation of their practice. The firm’s portfolio covers a broad range of work: convention and civic centres, academic, healthcare and research centres, performing arts centres, transportation infrastructure, and residential and commercial properties for clients throughout North America, Europe, Asia and the Middle East. In addition to solid technical and construction expertise, the firm’s projects explore themes such as artistic juxtaposition, social convergences and environmental stewardship.

Official name of the project: Assuta Medical Center
Location: Tel Aviv, Israel
Client: Assuta Medical Centers Ltd.
Architects/designers: Zeidler Partnership Architects with local architects Moore Architects + M. Brestovisky Architects and Urban Designers

Area of project: 600,000 sf (484,000 sf Phase I + 116,000 sf Phase II) plus 516,700 sf underground car parking on 4 levels.
Budget: $100 million
Project end date: November 2009

Design team:
Tarek El-Khatib, partner in charge of design
Alan Munn, partner in charge of administration
Tarek El-Khatib, Jurgen Henze and Amos Caspi: Design and design development

Interior design: Zeidler Partnership Architects
Structural: David Engineers Ltd.
Mechanical: Hendler Engineers Ltd.
Electrical and Communications: Dan Sharon and Zur Neaman
Landscape architects: Haim Kahanovich Landscape Architect
Contractors: AVIV & Co. Construction and Public Works Contracting Company Ltd.
Photographer: Tom Arban