Bangladesh hospital named world's best new building

[ghazi52]

Bangladesh hospital named world's best new building​

January 2022

Credit: Kashef Chowdhury/URBANA
Oscar Holland, CNN

Aremote hospital in an area of Bangladesh vulnerable to rising sea levels has been named the world's best new building.

The Friendship Hospital in Satkhira, a cyclone-prone district in the country's south, was announced winner of 2021's prestigious RIBA International Prize on Tuesday, with its architects praised for putting "care and humanity at the heart of its design."

Constructed from locally-made bricks, the 80-bed hospital was built around a series of courtyards lined with tranquil, shaded walkways. An angular canal cuts through the center of the site to separate inpatient and outpatient wings.

The canal cutting through the center of the complex helps with "micro climatic cooling" during hot Bangladesh summers, according to the Royal Institute of British Architects. Credit: Kashef Chowdhury/URBANA


The Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA), which organizes the award, commended the hospital's design for blending in with the surrounding countryside and creating an "uplifting and inviting experience for visitors, patients and healthcare professionals."

Designed by architect Kashef Chowdhury and his Dhaka-based firm, Urbana, the hospital was commissioned by sustainable development NGO, Friendship. Chowdhury described the jury's decision to honor a project from the "global periphery" as a "sublimely important moment."

"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," he said in a press statement.

The design's shady courtyards were designed to encourage natural ventilation. Credit: Kashef Chowdhury/URBANA

Held every two years, the prize honors buildings or structures that "demonstrate design excellence and social impact." In a press release announcing the winner, RIBA noted that the Friendship Hospital was built in a "fragile and dynamic environment," where grain fields have been converted into shrimp farms due to rising sea levels.

As such, the hospital incorporates several sustainable design features. The way the courtyards are arranged encourages natural ventilation and eliminates the need for air conditioning. The architects also created a drainage system that channels rainwater from around the complex into a storage tank for future use and to prevent waterlogging.

The prize's jury comprised experts from Europe, the US, Asia and South America, and was chaired by French architect and urban planner Odile Decq. In a press statement, Decq said that the hospital "is relevant to critical global challenges, such as unequal access to healthcare and the crushing impact of climate breakdown on vulnerable communities."

"It is a demonstration of how beautiful architecture can be achieved through good design when working with a relatively modest budget and with difficult contextual constraints," she added.

Jury chair Odile Decq called the hospital "a celebration of a building dedicated to humans." Credit: Kashef Chowdhury/URBANA

Selected from 16 finalists in 11 countries, the hospital was one of three projects shortlisted for the award. The shortlist included two European projects: James-Simon-Galerie, an art gallery on Berlin's Museum Island, and Lille Langebro, a 525-foot-long vehicle-free bridge in the Danish capital, Copenhagen.

The biennial prize, delayed a year due to the Covid-19 pandemic, was last awarded in 2018, when a school in rural Brazil was named the world's best new building.

A second award was also announced Tuesday, with Iran's Hooba Design Group winning the RIBA International Emerging Architect award for an "innovative" brick office building in Tehran.

Bangladesh hospital named world's best new building

A rural hospital in an area of Bangladesh vulnerable to rising sea levels has been named winner of the prestigious RIBA International Prize.

edition.cnn.com

 

[letsrock]

Thats really impressive brickwork. You dont normally see it in south asia - its covered up.

 

[Gripen9]

Thats really impressive brickwork. You dont normally see it in south asia - its covered up.

I don't know where you have looked. But exposed brick finish is very prevalent in Pakistan esp. Punjab.

This is only one example of the iconic Alhamra Arts Council in Pakistan built back in 1992.

Alhamra Arts Council | Aga Khan Development Network

The complex comprises an 800-seat auditorium, a 500-seat theatre, an art gallery, and a music centre, housed in three separate wings; each based on octagonal forms. The structure is built of thick exposed brick and is reminiscent of Mughal forms.

www.akdn.org

 

[RangeMaster]

Honestly these buildings look beautiful. And as gripen9 posted these are prevalent in Pakistan. Some in Pakistan that I've shared below...

Aga khan University Hospital Karachi

An educational complex in Punjab

LUMS Lahore

Telenor headquarters Islamabad

 

[Bilal9]

Honestly these buildings look beautiful. And as gripen9 posted these are prevalent in Pakistan. Some in Pakistan that I've shared below...

Aga khan University Hospital Karachi

An educational complex in Punjab

LUMS Lahore

Telenor headquarters Islamabad

The Aga Khan University Hospital follows the same tropical sunshade angular opening design precepts and materials pioneered in the 60's in Dhaka's Parliament House. The exposed kiln-fired ceramic bricks ("Face Bricks") are supposed to do away with the need for choona and exterior distemper paint finish every year, saving millions.

Here are some buildings built with solid Face brick exterior walls in Dhaka's Parliament House (2nd capital) complex.

The parliament building itself is built using open cement cladding, but auxiliary buildings and interiors of the main parliament building are built with Face Brick.

The entire complex was commissioned by General Ayub Khan who appointed celebrated Bengali architect Muzharul Islam as chief architect of his govt. - Muzhar Saab, in turn hired Louis Kahn to design the complex.

The bricks made at Mirpur Ceramics, established in the 1960's for this purpose, the one with holes is a later development.

Parliament house is built in massive solid cement style, but walkways are face brick

Just to clarify - Face Brick is expensive, much more expensive than typical "Desi" brick, which is used in the construction of the SatKhira Hospital this thread is about (it uses local Desi Brick without plaster finish). Obviously cost, availability of construction materials and economics is an issue in Building hospitals in faraway places like this.

 

[Bilal9]

The architect who designed that hospital (Kashef Mahbub Chowdhury), is one of the celebrated architects from Bangladesh, his atelier is called "Urbana".

He has designed many structures and each one stand on its own merit as a design icon. We are lucky to have an architectural tradition which Muzharul Islam started.

Here is Gulshan Society Jame Mosque,

Chandgaon Mosque

Red Mosque

 

[peagle]

Bangladesh hospital named world's best new building​

January 2022

Credit: Kashef Chowdhury/URBANA
Oscar Holland, CNN

Aremote hospital in an area of Bangladesh vulnerable to rising sea levels has been named the world's best new building.

The Friendship Hospital in Satkhira, a cyclone-prone district in the country's south, was announced winner of 2021's prestigious RIBA International Prize on Tuesday, with its architects praised for putting "care and humanity at the heart of its design."

Constructed from locally-made bricks, the 80-bed hospital was built around a series of courtyards lined with tranquil, shaded walkways. An angular canal cuts through the center of the site to separate inpatient and outpatient wings.

The canal cutting through the center of the complex helps with "micro climatic cooling" during hot Bangladesh summers, according to the Royal Institute of British Architects. Credit: Kashef Chowdhury/URBANA


The Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA), which organizes the award, commended the hospital's design for blending in with the surrounding countryside and creating an "uplifting and inviting experience for visitors, patients and healthcare professionals."

Designed by architect Kashef Chowdhury and his Dhaka-based firm, Urbana, the hospital was commissioned by sustainable development NGO, Friendship. Chowdhury described the jury's decision to honor a project from the "global periphery" as a "sublimely important moment."

"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," he said in a press statement.

The design's shady courtyards were designed to encourage natural ventilation. Credit: Kashef Chowdhury/URBANA

Held every two years, the prize honors buildings or structures that "demonstrate design excellence and social impact." In a press release announcing the winner, RIBA noted that the Friendship Hospital was built in a "fragile and dynamic environment," where grain fields have been converted into shrimp farms due to rising sea levels.

As such, the hospital incorporates several sustainable design features. The way the courtyards are arranged encourages natural ventilation and eliminates the need for air conditioning. The architects also created a drainage system that channels rainwater from around the complex into a storage tank for future use and to prevent waterlogging.

The prize's jury comprised experts from Europe, the US, Asia and South America, and was chaired by French architect and urban planner Odile Decq. In a press statement, Decq said that the hospital "is relevant to critical global challenges, such as unequal access to healthcare and the crushing impact of climate breakdown on vulnerable communities."

"It is a demonstration of how beautiful architecture can be achieved through good design when working with a relatively modest budget and with difficult contextual constraints," she added.

Jury chair Odile Decq called the hospital "a celebration of a building dedicated to humans." Credit: Kashef Chowdhury/URBANA

Selected from 16 finalists in 11 countries, the hospital was one of three projects shortlisted for the award. The shortlist included two European projects: James-Simon-Galerie, an art gallery on Berlin's Museum Island, and Lille Langebro, a 525-foot-long vehicle-free bridge in the Danish capital, Copenhagen.

The biennial prize, delayed a year due to the Covid-19 pandemic, was last awarded in 2018, when a school in rural Brazil was named the world's best new building.

A second award was also announced Tuesday, with Iran's Hooba Design Group winning the RIBA International Emerging Architect award for an "innovative" brick office building in Tehran.

Bangladesh hospital named world's best new building

A rural hospital in an area of Bangladesh vulnerable to rising sea levels has been named winner of the prestigious RIBA International Prize.

edition.cnn.com

just saw this on YouTube, checked here if it's been highlighted or not.
Absolutely gorgeous building, simple yet elegant, blends into the environment beautifully and functional in a minimal way.
These days most hospitals give you stress just looking them, this one portrays a sense of calm and serenity. I wouldn't be surprised if half the healing is done by just looking at the building and being in those surroundings. But, I do hope they keep it in good condition, people in our region have a bad habit of letting beautiful things slide.

 

[Maula Jatt]

damn this looks fine!!!

 

[Great Janjua]

What remarkable design truly feels welcoming in between those Paddy fields. Fantastico!.

 

[Muhammad Saftain Anjum]

Wow.
Its design is great.

 

[bluesky]

 

[Skull and Bones]

Impressive, kudos to the architect.

 

[nang2]

It is great that Islam prohibits alcohol drinking. Otherwise, one may fall into the water since there is no railing.

 

[Goenitz]

It is great that Islam prohibits alcohol drinking. Otherwise, one may fall into the water since there is no railing.

Yeah.. health and safety requires railing.. as falling will hurt.. However, i am more worried about mosquitos. May be the fish will prevent that.

 

[Bilal9]