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UAE: University students help renovate Sheikh Shakhbout Medical City

ADU’s Interior Design students were equipped with these skills as part of a partnership agreement

Abu Dhabi University (ADU) students have been given a first hand educational experience to learn, apply their skills and express their creativity by applying their innovative design ideas in Sheikh Shakhbout Medical City (SSMC)’s Department of Paediatric Rehabilitation.

ADU’s Interior Design students were equipped with skills as part of partnership agreement between SSMC and ADU.

In addition to empowering students and creating positive spaces for patients, this collaboration will support students in working and learning alongside SSMC’s engineering team and further applying new designs across its facilities.

The entire process included four phases. During the first phase, ADU students and faculty members provided significant input and ideas for designing the Pediatric Rehabilitation Department under the supervision of Dr. Ahmed Elshakhs, Assistant professor of interior and furniture design, Architecture and Design Department, at ADU. The renovation process includes plans for the entrance, corridors, reception, waiting areas, two treatment rooms, a gymnasium and a speech therapy room.

Following the success of the first installation, further design phases will follow as part of the collaboration. Currently, SSMC’s engineering team and ADU students are working together on the hospital’s Gynaecology Emergency and Pre-Natal Diagnostic Centre, with plans to also include the Paediatric ward, Maternity Emergency Room.

Dr. Hamdi Sheibani, Dean of the College of Engineering at Abu Dhabi University (ADU), said: “The collaboration between Abu Dhabi University (ADU) and Sheikh Shakhbout Medical City (SSMC) is a valuable initiative in which both entities have reaped the benefits equally. It is a colossal opportunity for our students to enrich and develop their skills in a practical setting.

“Abu Dhabi University is constantly striving to build fruitful partnerships with local and international stakeholders that add value to its students. We look forward to seeing our student’s exemplary commitment to this initiative as we continue to support and prepare them to be future leaders in their careers.”

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Dr. Ahmed Elshakhs, Assistant professor of Interior and Furniture Design, at Abu Dhabi University (ADU) and project supervisor, said: “It is an excellent opportunity for our students to engage in the field of design in a professional manner through a comprehensive design proposal, including full visual documentation, detailed working drawings, material selection, specifications and quantities.

"For the first time, the Architecture Department at Abu Dhabi University (ADU) provided consultation for a full project toward the implementation and construction phase. Students have demonstrated a strong skill and a solid knowledge base of the process that earned them the respect of the client and the contractor. The significant relationship between the child and mother has been raised and considered within the students’ proposal. This project exemplifies the department’s curriculum's strength.”

ismail@khaleejtimes.com