ARCH 416

Spring ‘15

Class 05 Learning from Vernaculars

What’s so great

about the soddy?

PROS:

• ecofriendly to build (relatively low embodied energy)

• ecofriendly to maintain (so well-insulated that very little fuel is required)

• quick to construct (minimal labor time; possible DIY)

CONS

• dirty (if it does not have a proper roof); (walls can be plastered, you can have a proper floor)

• leaky (again, roof dependent)

• dark ( due to thick insulating walls and low profile)

all buildings, even the most

humble, represent a set of

solutions

you can learn from bad

solutions as easily as from

good ones

SOURCE FOR PREVIOUS GRAPHICS

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/wonkblog/wp/2013/08/15/five-

facts-about-household-debt-in-the-united-states/

Patients in Ward K of Armory Square Hospital - Washington, D.C., August 1865

Hospital Ward, Butaro Hospital, Burera District, Rwanda, MASS Design, 2011

exterior view of hospital complex

local stone walls line the outdoor lobby space

covered open-air corridors: one solution to poor hospital air quality

section showing how passive ventilation system operates; system achieves

12 complete air exchanges every 60 mins.

first floor plan of Butaro Hospital showing steeply terraced surroundings

SECOND FLOOR PLAN

1 Ambulatory

2 Pharmacy

3 Lab

4 Pediatrics Ward

5 Conference Room

6 Staff Training

7 Women’s Ward

Photo taken during construction process. The decision was made to

employ local people and train them at the job site to increase the impact

of the investment in the area.

how did this project come to be?

THROUGH A QUESTION FROM AN ARCH STUDENT !

Paul Farmer, Partners in Health, NGO founded 1987

builds hospitals in undeserved areas of poor/conflict-

ridden countries: e.g., Haiti and Rwanda

Michael Murphy (the student, at the time) “It was kind of

an ’aha’ moment. Here’s this internationally recognized

nongovernmental organization doing massive

infrastructure work. They could snap their fingers and get

any architect to work for them for free, and they don’t see

the need for professional architectural services.”

Michael Murphy and Alan Ricks founded MASS Design Group as a nonprofit firm after responding to a call from Partners in Health.

Butaro Hospital, Burera District, Rwanda

Cost $4.4 million

Completion date January 2011

Annual purchased energy use Energy use was notmodeled, but is expected to be very low, as the hospitalhas no mechanical system

Program 155 beds, 2 operating rooms, lab, delivery,maternity, ER with 4 trauma bays, 10 isolation rooms,referral rooms, x-ray, mental health clinic