a small, zigzagging hospital in bangladesh is named world’s best new building

RIBA announces 2021 award winners

‘friendship hospital’ in bangladesh designed by kashef chowdhury/URBANA is the winner of the RIBA international prize 2021. commissioned by NGO friendship, the hospital provides a vital medical facility to rural communities of satkhira in southern bangladesh, a coastal area that has been directly impacted by rising sea levels.

the remote hospital was awarded the RIBA’s coveted prize by an international jury comprised of odile decq, es devlin, jeanne gang, rossana hu, and gustavo utrabo. jury chair odile decq praised the project for its human touch, calling it ‘a celebration of a building dedicated to humans.’

the biennial awards program has also named hooba design group as the RIBA international emerging architect 2021 for the kohan ceram central office building in iran. 

image by asif salman courtesy of URBANA

friendship hospital by kashef chowdhury/URBANA

once surrounded by grain fields, the site of the hospital is now flanked by a flooded landscape home to shrimp fisheries. water also cuts through the length of the complex in the form of a zig-zag shaped canal that separates inpatients and outpatients. this water channel diverts rainwater to a newly built tank to prevent waterlogging while also providing cooling during hot summers, reducing the need for air conditioning.

architect kashef chowdhury of URBANA shaped a low-lying architecture composed of a series of brick volumes and courtyards, which bring in natural light and ventilation and offer peaceful spaces for patients and visitors to rest. local brick was chosen for its resilient qualities and low cost, with openings in the brickwork offering private shaded areas and natural cooling.

image by asif salman courtesy of URBANA

image by asif salman courtesy of URBANA

RIBA president simon allford added, ‘friendship hospital is an exemplar of thoughtful and creative design of a building of great importance and scale, built within a modest budget, and crafted with the local community and its natural surroundings in mind. kashef chowdhury/URBANA has created innovative, clear, refined, economical and delightful architecture with social impact – providing essential healthcare services in the rural area and addressing the increasing effects of the climate emergency. I am delighted that it is being celebrated as the international prize 2021 winner.’

image by asif salman courtesy of URBANA

‘in a sublimely important moment, RIBA and the jurors have identified a project from the global periphery to bring to the center of architectural discourse and be the subject of one of the most important global awards. I am encouraged that this may inspire more of us to commit, not in spite of, but because of limitations of resources and means, to an architecture of care both for humanity and for nature, to rise collectively to the urgencies that we face today on a planetary scale,’ said kashef chowdhury.

‘I am incredibly grateful to our client friendship, and their founder runa khan for their unending support and understanding, and to the many architects, engineers and consultants who have been with us through the rigorous quarter century of our commitment to society, culture and our most beloved nature.’

image by asif salman courtesy of URBANA

runa khan, founder and executive director of friendship commented, ‘having worked with communities most impacted by climate change over the last 20 years, I have seen, time and time again, proof of my belief that ‘the poor cannot afford poor solutions’! working with kashef was a joy for us. someone who could efficiently use local materials, ensure efficiency of the work we were to deliver and keep the spirit of friendship alive, and not ever compromise on quality either for himself or for the spirit we wanted it to be. truly for me he was the architect who could bring this – in his design, his care and delivery.’

‘with the interplay of light, clay, air and water, friendship hospital shyamnagar comes more alive in beauty with the purpose it serves. it brings new hope of a better tomorrow to some of the most climate impacted people on this planet.’

image by asif salman courtesy of URBANA

kohan ceram central office building by hooba design group

located on sattari highway in tehran, iran, hooba design group’s kohan ceram central office building was praised by the RIBA for its innovative brick skin. winners of the RIBA international emerging architect 2021, hooba designed a homogenous and harmonizing structure that features three types of brick–glass, filled, or empty–, which function to regulate the building temperature while bringing in natural light. at night, the glass and empty bricks also transform the office into a spectacle of light.

image by deed studio, courtesy of hooba design

denise bennetts, chair of the RIBA awards group, said, ‘the judges were impressed by how the practice’s kohan ceram central office building successfully addresses a number of key criteria and responds with an architecture of restraint, invention and elegance. working with an existing structure and collaborating with the client, hooba design group developed an environmentally considered ‘spectacled brick’ building which stands out like a glowing beacon on a grey city corner.’

‘the decision to use a single material to create both the external and internal structure results in an intriguing ambiguity about what is solid and what is void; creating different perceptions during day and night. in the dry and polluted climate of tehran, the building is minimal and cohesive, utilizing the facade’s voids to provide light, ventilation and space for vegetation to grow. an uplifting and inspiring design, this project as well as the hooba design group’s collaborative approach to innovation, qualifies them as a worthy recipient of the riba international emerging architect 2021.’

image by parham taghioff, courtesy of hooba design

1/15

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

image by parham taghioff, courtesy of hooba design

image by parham taghioff, courtesy of hooba design

image by parham taghioff, courtesy of hooba design

image by parham taghioff, courtesy of hooba design

project info:

name: friendship hospital

location: shyamnagar, bangladesh

client: friendship NGO

architecture: kashef chowdhury/URBANA
contractor: golam mostofa limited
structural design: descon engineers
electrical engineering: independent
plumbing design: M/S high speed engineers
sewage treatment: sigma engineers ltd.

internal area: 4,777 sqm

date of completion: april 2018

photography: asif salman

name: kohan ceram central office building

location: tehran, iran

client: kohan ceram
architecture: hooman balazadeh/hooba design

project director: hooman balazadeh

lighting design: FADco

internal area: 1,019 sqm
date of completion: july 2019

photography: deed studio, parham taghioff