Adverse health outcomes, exacerbated by extreme weather events, inspired architects to build an award-winning hospital in Bangladesh. Friendship Hospital rose to prominence in early 2022 after it received the title of ‘World’s Best New Building’ by the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA).

Climate change is a clear and present danger. But its impacts are unevenly distributed across the world, with some countries in South Asia, such as Bangladesh, being especially vulnerable. The country sits on a low-lying delta with a dense network of rivers, and is generally more prone to natural hazards such as floods, cyclones and droughts. Even within the country, the impacts of climate change are disproportionately distributed, with certain districts, such as Satkhira, experiencing more frequent floods and storms. Vulnerable populations are hit the hardest by climate breakdown, and extreme weather events exacerbate adverse health outcomes. While unequal access to healthcare isn’t limited to the Global South alone, the precarity of the problem is manifold in some countries in this region, such as Bangladesh.    

Situated in Shyamnagar village and surrounded by shrimp farms, architects designed and built the entire hospital using local materials, employing local craftsmen and local knowledge, all while keeping contextual climate change impacts and its associated vulnerability in mind. Over the last few years, rising sea levels have forced the rural population in the district to shift from agriculture to shrimp farming. The architects, thus, purposefully adapted to the surrounding riverine landscape by creating a canal that cuts across the hospital premises, aiding microclimatic cooling, while separating inpatients from outpatients. Two water tanks at either end of the canal also hold harvested rainwater at the site. Additional green design features, such as gardens, courtyards, pools and trees, have also been embedded in the whole campus to attract sunlight and provide natural ventilation. Moreover, attention was given to sensitive areas within the hospital premises that are exposed to the tropical sun by using corridors and double-layered arches.

The hospital’s architecture seamlessly blends in local climatic considerations with a human touch. It lies at the intersection of multiple, mutually inclusive issues: purpose-led design aimed at social impact, climate justice, equal access to healthcare for vulnerable populations, use of locally-sourced, sustainable building materials, local knowledge and craftsmen. Needs of the local population were kept in mind when the architects built the canal and two large storage tanks at either end—these elements serve as an essential resource in an area where the groundwater is extremely saline. There are multiple policy takeaways from this case: firstly, climate change impacts are contextual, and a one-size-fits-all approach doesn’t work. Instead of building a conventional structure, the architects accounted for local needs, local landscape, local wisdom and local climate change impacts before designing and constructing the hospital. Secondly, active collaboration with villagers in the construction of the building to cultivate trust and legitimacy for the institution was another key ingredient for its success. 

Photo by Derek Finch from Unsplash.