Project category: Project in progress (December 2011)

Chief administrator: Yair Birnbaum, MD, MPA, Associate Director General, Director of Ein Kerem Hospital, 011-972-2-6776095

Firms: HKS, Inc., (214) 969-5599; Spector-Amisar, 011-972-2-5661671

Design team: Architect, HKS, Inc.; Associate Architect, Spector-Amisar Planners; Hospital Consultant, M. Bostin & Associates, Inc.

Total building area (sq. ft.): 700,000

Construction cost/sq. ft.: $314

Total construction cost (excluding land): $220,000,000


Located in the ancient city of Jerusalem, the Hadassah Medical Center campus serves the growing needs of the greater community, providing leading research, teaching, and medical care to multiple cultures and religions at all social and economic levels. The need to improve the healing environment and enhance patient safety, coupled with the lack of continuity and connectivity between inpatient areas, serves as the driving force behind this project.


The proposed consolidated inpatient tower at Hadassah will bridge the gap between the state-of-the-art medical center and the centuries-old city while complementing the rich history of the existing healthcare campus built in 1961. It is designed to serve the community with the latest in high-tech and high-touch medical care, while giving the campus a new identity and a fitting sense of arrival. The project includes 450 beds, a 50,000-sq.-ft. logistics center, and a 20-OR inpatient surgery department.

The tower concept is organized around four main principles: Healing Environment, Connectivity, Emergency Medical Response, and Sustainability. These are met by incorporating healing gardens at the inpatient floors, day rooms, natural light in the work areas, improved connectivity, and integrated shelters for emergency response while still creating an uplifting and healing environment. Sustainable features include radiant-beam cooling, natural ventilation, and passive and active solar design, such as double-glazed skin.

The result will be a facility that will enhance the delivery of care to the patients, families, visitors, and staff of all cultures.