Friendship Hospital, Satkhira, an eighty-bed community hospital situated in a remote rural area of southwest Bangladesh, designed by Bangladeshi architect Kashef Chowdhury/URBANA, has won the RIBA (Royal Institute of British Architects) International Prize 2021.
The 80-bed community hospital has been designed by Kashef Chowdhury, a Bangladeshi architect, using only local bricks for construction.
The hospital was chosen as the winner from a shortlist of three new buildings by the Grand Jury that was chaired by renowned architect Odile Decq.
According to a statement issued by RIBA, the hospital, built at a low cost, has been designed to work with and withstand the tangible climate change effects of rising seawater in the surrounding region. “A series of courtyards brings in natural light and ventilation, while a canal traversing the site collects valuable rainwater since the groundwater remains unusable for most purposes,” the RIBA said.
The water channel gives visual respite, aids in micro-climatic cooling and is a source of distraction for both patients and their relatives from the anxiety associated with the disease.
“Friendship Hospital embodies an architecture of humanity and protection that reflects the Friendship NGO’s philanthropic mission to provide dignity and hope to communities through social innovation,” Decq said, according to a RIBA statement.
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