Farrokh Derakhshani
This hospital annex, honored in 1995, may be one of the most original and significant
of the AKAA's winners. After two years of experimentation, architect Fabrizio Carola and
other members of the Association for the Natural Development of an African Architecture
and Urbanism came up with a technique for brick-vaulted construction that doesn't
require timber or reinforced concrete, and can be formed into a host of unusual shapes.
Natives of this frontier town, 250 kilometers southeast of the capital city of
Nouakchott, learned to make the brick from local clay and built the structure
themselves. Light enters through glass blocks set into the brickwork and openings in the
arches-an essential feature, since electricity comes at a premium here. The wards are
doughnut-shaped to provide good cross-ventilation; their petal-like corridors serve as
isolation zones. Sophisticated but low-tech, this complex has brought pride and delight
to the medical staff and the locals.
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