Sabará Children’s Hospital
Designed to become the largest pediatric complex in Latin America, the new Sabará Children’s Hospital will have the capacity to accommodate up to 130,000 appointments per year. It aims to provide pleasant aesthetic and sensory experiences within a structure that includes 120 inpatient beds and 60 ICU beds dedicated to pediatric and adolescent patients with complex diseases.
Sabará’s new hospital is based on the principle that children are in a developmental phase and, therefore, require spaces and processes that help them reach their full potential. To achieve this, the design accommodates the children’s families, offers activities focused on child growth, promotes stimulating experiences, and ensures the well-being of all professionals involved in the treatment process.
Images: do.studio
The building’s welcoming façade, composed of oval and rounded shapes, evokes the embrace of a hug. The organic design, in which curves replace sharp angles, was employed to enhance circulation and reinforce the idea of warmth that a children’s hospital should embody.
The scale of the project is reflected in its materiality. Glass panels cover the entire exterior, punctuated by vertical brise-soleils that control natural lighting in the interiors and give identity and rhythm to the façade. The lines intersect with the columns on the ground floor, which features a double ceiling height space where piloti create a wide roof that is permeable to pedestrians and vehicles.
A central atrium cuts vertically through the building vertically past all floors. Longitudinal coverings and medium-sized trees make the view upwards feel magical —like a tunnel connecting earth and the sky, or a portal to another dimension—stimulating children’s imagination.
