Organiser:     Architecture for Humanity

Project:         AMD Open Architecture Challenge

Result:          First prize, building contract for telemedicine centre in Nepal

Competition Summary

The Durbar square, a unique urban form found only in Nepal, is traditionally the space in front of a palace containing temples, shrines and rest houses for travellers and pilgrims.  An inwardly-focused ensemble of forms is proposed in this rural context, which, like the Durbar square, separates its programmatic functions into distinct buildings. 

The main public facility is housed within the key corner plot.  A tower at this position, vital and strategic for the operation of the building, also denotes its civic purpose, marking it as a beacon for the local community.  A series of levels throughout the scheme make use of the natural gradient of the site and identify a hierarchy of private and public spaces whilst recalling the terraced landscape of its immediate context.  The shift of the residential block off the orthogonal axis, whilst softening the formality of the courtyard, lean it towards the contours of the site.  The arrangement and position of the blocks on the site avoid all but two of the existing trees in an effort not to disturb their fragile ecological context.

The scheme further aims to sympathise with its locale through materials.  A material datum at first floor level provides a plinth of indigenous stone emerging from the hillside above which locally sourced adobe, reinforced with cement, form the upper levels.  These materials whilst key to the architecture also lend themselves to the functional intentions of the design. 

‘Architecture for Humanity is a registered non-profit organisation founded in 1999 to promote architectural and design solutions to global, social and humanitarian crises. Through design/build projects, competitions, workshops, educational forums, partnerships with aid organisations and other activities, Architecture for Humanity creates opportunities for architects and designers from around the world to help communities in need.’

(Architecture for Humanity mission statement)