Completed Butaro Hospital in Rwanda by MASS Design Group

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The Boston based architecture firm, MASS Design Group, has already completed a significant and humanitarian commission to build Butaro Hospital in Rwanda. The district hospital now serves 400,000 people and has an innovative design to help restrict the spread of infectious disease. It was also built using local craftsmen and materials, and came in under budget.

Located in Burera District of Rwanda, the Butaro Hospital is comprised of a number of buildings set on a hilltop location. The hospital’s design was focused on mitigation and reduction of the transmission of airborne diseases. MASS collaborated with Partners in Health and Harvard Medical Center to develop and implement systems, like overall layout, patient and staff flow, and natural ventilation to minimize disease transmission.

Local laborers and craftsmen were utilized in the construction of the hospital. Local volcanic rock from the Virunga Mountain Chain was used to construct many of the facility’s walls and now the local masonry team is in especially high demand for their skills. The use of local materials and labor helped reduce the overall cost of construction, which was two-thirds of what a hospital of this size would typically cost in Rwanda.

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source: inhabitat, massdesigngroup