visiondivision: 'umbrella' children's hospital project, rwanda

hospital in rwanda – phase 1 by visiondivision all images courtesy visiondivision

visiondivision architects have sent us in images of their latest project which was part of the ‘design for children’ competition to design a hospital in rwanda.

insufficient water is one of the most severe problems in rural africa, bearing this in mind the architects thought of using a from similar to an upside down umbrella for dew/rainwater collecting, where they went to the the sahara desert to experiment with the concept.

the new hospital prototype is simple consisting of an upscaled upside down umbrella which serves as a roof to an already built rural hospital. the umbrella roof is gathering rainwater or dew depending on the location to supply the hospital with clean water. the big umbrella also serves as a light roof giving shadow to the hospital.

phase I – the structure is made out of light felt and steel. in the middle of the umbrella shaped tent there is a water container gathering the clean water from the roof.

phase II

at first the hospital is built as a small village with local materials under the umbrella, the water container becomes the midpoint of the hospital. the hospital gets energy supply from solar panels.

phase III

when the hospital grows the umbrella can easily grow by adding an outer layer of felt and moving the pillars outwards from the centre point. the different houses expands by mirroring themselves outwards. as the structure grows the water supply surface gets bigger at the same time.

phase IV

as time goes by, modern materials can be added to improve the village without interfering with the design. our hope is that the structure becomes a roof for constant developing.

phase V as a final stage a facade with sun protection can be added, making the building into a modern hospital. It is our hope and belief that the regions in need for this hospital will develop into strong economies one day. this building is prepared to stand in better times as well.

plans of hospital

experimentation in the sahara desert