Sultan Ismail Hospital was commissioned to supplement the existing Sultanah Aminah Hospital in Johor Baharu. As an electronically managed specialist centre, effort was put into the coordination of design with the information system (THIS) employed to achieve its ends. With the other facilities including radiotherapy, oncology, haematology, mammography and burns care units, the design imaged on healthcare as raised to a technological level which was state-of- the-art without losing the most basic of human needs: that of natural daylight and the well being that comes from “dwelling”.

The hospital with its 704 beds is organized around a great courtyard, a garden of commensurate proportion: the entry atrium and plaza with their associated lobbies, assembly and waiting areas all connect at ground level to this forested garden. Circulation has been kept clean and clear on the edges of the garden with vertical travel by lift or stairs designed to maximize security and minimize public movement at the upper levels.

With a structural grid of 7.5 meters, construction modularity and systemized components from external cladding & details to the internal finishes and fittings are prioritized so as to effect greater balance between repetivity and customization. The hospital has been designed to be technologically advanced yet mindful of lessons from vernarcular architecture, friendly and warm at the same time it is practical & efficient, and environmentally responsive while providing ambient comfort appropriate to a health facility.