tam architecture: salam surgery center for emergency, sudan

salam emergency surgery center by tam architecture
all images courtesy tam architecture

italian firm tam architecture designed the salam surgery center in sudan for



it is a complex for cardiac surgery that provides highly specialized care to patients
with heart disease, a regional project involving 9 countries bordering sudan (an area
equal to that of western europe), employing and training local medical staff.

the cardiac center 'salam' was not conceived as just a building, but as a system of
buildings and related spaces. the lot is located south of khartoum, overlooking
the river nile. the project includes a hospital organized on a pattern by a large courtyard,
a building guest quarters, service buildings, more gardens, a pavillion for prayer
and meditation, a village on staff (made with the containers that were used to transport
medical equipment).


salam emergency surgery center




hallway


emergency room


the courtyard garden


the screens that surround the courtyard are handmade by local people





meditation pavilion

when the architects had to think of a place that hosts prayer, as is customary done
in any place of care, they had to deal with the difficult dilemma: to think of a space
that could accommodate the complex spiritual and lodges in this country. the choice
was to not focus on any form of worship but to create a space capable of hosting
the prayer and meditation for all faiths. they had to of course, deal with the muslim
religion as it is the faith professed by the majority of the sudanese and the rules
imposed (washing, separation of men women) but they have dropped these rules in
a neutral context that made them dominant . the thing was made possible by hiding
all the symbols and religious elements that could be traced to a single religion.




the roof is made with straw






local people constructing the panels of the roof


inside the pavilion


place and date: khartoum (sudan), 2004-07
client: emergency NGO
quantitative data: lot area: 41,000 square meters
covered area: 6,000 sqm
team: chairman: rossella miccio, peter parrino.
preliminary draft: emiliano cinelli, fabrizio fasano, andrea cioffi, abel ferro,
ennio rigamonti
project and DL: studio tamassociati + sebastian crescini