African Design Magazine May 2017 | Page 60

Located in the Gahanga District, Kigali, Rwanda, on a 4 Hectare site, the Eugene Gasana Jr. Foundation Paediatric Cancer Centre will provide a hospital and lodging facility for outpatients who need to reside close to the hospital, as well as residential housing for physicians and nurses. The centre is designed by Adjaye Associates. T he design of the 100- bed hospital draws on the traditional architectural vernacular of the region, expressed with a contemporary language. Utilising sustainable resources (to reduce operating costs for electricity over time), architecture and providing a soothing, open and restful environment for treatment, the building importantly, the brief called for a space that adds dignity and hope to the lives of th light have been key. Inspired by the practice of Imigongo – a popular art form in Rwanda that is produc painted on walls, pottery and canvas – the design concept uses a geometric languag the mass is punctuated with three generous, lushly planted external courtyards, wh surrounds the three courtyard spaces, so that rooms have direct views to the exterio volumes knitted together. These increase in density or become more porous depend is protected from solar gain. The metallic screens sparkle in the sunlight and in tim around them, giving the sense of a living, organic building. AD 60 africandesignmagazine.com