Burera District was one of the last two districts in Rwanda to receive a district hospital, which now serves a population of over 400,000 people. Innovative design developed in collaboration with infectious disease specialists from Partners in Health and the Harvard Medical School sought to mitigate and reduce the transmission of airborne disease through several systems, including overall layout, patient and staff flow, and natural cross-ventilation.

Our design makes use of local materials - such as the volcanic rock from the Virunga Mountain Chain – and labor intensive practices in an effort to deliver appropriate and sustainable design, as well as stimulate the local economy. The design and coordinated construction reduced the cost of this hospital to roughly two thirds of what a hospital of this size would typically cost in Rwanda, saving 2 million dollars in construction fees. The Butaro Hospital brought architects, builders, and doctors directly to a community most in need and addressed global poverty by creating better built, more equitable environments and embedding systems that ensured its long-term, independent sustainability.

This project was completed as a program of Partners in Health.