Butaro District Hospital

In a place where tuberculosis was the leading cause of death, we discovered that design had a role to play in infection control— better airflow in hospitals could reduce infection and save lives. We took this as the driving thesis of the project, and the impetus to a decade of research around airborne infection control and improved medical design.

To improve airflow, wards are oriented toward the wind; windows open wide to draw fresh air through; high ceilings and clerestories lift hot air up and out. Corridors are placed outside the wards so that air and people move freely, reducing transmission. Courtyards bring light into daily care. And even the stone— volcanic rock from the surrounding hills, cut and laid by masons trained during construction— embodied the idea and need for the building to be of the place where it sits.

Over time, the hospital has become the nucleus of a growing constellation of structures our team designed. Housing was built for doctors and nurses, making it possible to recruit and retain essential staff. A Cancer Center of Excellence was established, offering specialized oncology care where previously patients had to travel across borders for treatment. And the University of Global Health Equity was founded nearby, its classrooms and dormitories filled with students training to become Africa's next generation of health leaders.

Selected Press

• In Redesigned Room, Hospital Patients May Feel Better Already - New York Times
• Dignifying Design - New York Times
• Butaro Hospital Rwanda - Domus
• Rwanda's Historic Health Recovery: What the U.S. Might Learn - The Atlantic
• Social Constructs - UChicago Magazine
• Butaro Hospital - Architectural Record