King Faisal and Prince Mohammed Medical Cities are part of King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia’s vision to create world-class healthcare centres throughout the Kingdom. The medical cities are nearly identical in design, as they each include a 500-bed main hospital plus five specialty hospitals, as well as retail outlets, a hotel, a mosque, and a housing development. The only significant difference between the cities is the number of patient beds — King Faisal Medical City will have 1,350 beds whereas Prince Mohammed Medical City will have 1,000 beds. Both are designed to de-institutionalize healthcare through patient and family-centric healthcare delivery and through the integration of the built and natural environment.

Key features of the Medical Cities include:

• The architecture and design of the campuses is based on Islamic geometry, specifically the eight-sided star derived from a square; a motif from the Abha region of the Kingdom.
• In addition to a new general hospital, the medical cities will include two additional wings housing five specialty hospitals: cardiology, neurology, oncology, rehabilitation and ophthalmology.
• Organized around a central landscaped plaza atop a below-grade parking structure, the architectural components of the medical cities will create a coherent hierarchy of space and circulation.