MATERNITY CENTER

A bamboo structure with open sides, housing outdoor tables with people sitting, and a view of trees and a park in the background.

Competition Team

Design Team: ARCNOMA

Our proposal looked to develop a Maternity Center which provides access to specialized healthcare as well as community services within the region.

A detailed floor plan of a building, showing multiple rooms including bedrooms, bathrooms, offices, and common areas, with an open central courtyard.
Women and children talking and walking in front of a bamboo structure on a dirt ground with trees in the background.

With our Maternity Center we look to provide the residents with the facility for healthcare while using the site as a means for connection with members of the community

We placed a courtyard within the facility to create a dynamic center with access to both sides of the facility as well as a pass-through to the waterfront and entrance from the street.

We believe this project will act as a nest for interaction between the community, the healthcare facility and the educational program instilled in our design. We felt the nurturing sense of community should be described on the interior of the space as well as in the overall design creating a beacon for welfare in the community

Interior of a modern, traditional African-style building with bamboo walls and ceiling, featuring people walking, sitting, and a desk at the back with a woman standing behind it.
Satellite view of a small town with a river flowing through, featuring several streets and buildings, and a park with trees at the center surrounded by a white circle.

The screen is created through the application of the bamboo and straw components. We recognized the bamboo can double as a vertical post and as structure for the roof framing. The straw acts as twine at locations where bamboo pieces connect and also acts as another layer of screening where necessary. As we recognize the straw finish cannot fully shield water in roofing conditions we introduced a layer above the bamboo structure below the straw, of plastic derived from local waste material that can be washed and laid down as a layer of waterproofing.

Within the Kolda section of Senegal, we landed upon a community alongside the Casamance river. This community is at the center of both governmental and social organizations. In this community we noticed the need for educational, social and healthcare facilities.