Name: Brainstorm Design 2019: Design in Focus the Need for Sexy Trash
Uploaded: 2019-03-21
Duration: 14 min 52 s
Description: Our trash problem is an opportunity to transform the way we design, engineer, and manufacture. Trash is already the new building block.

In 2005, in, [ UNKNOWN ] South Africa, multiple people died of a multi drug resistant tuberculosis type. It was found that these people visited same clinic with patients who had the same symptoms, had went to seek care. The contamination happened When they were all waiting for consultation in poorly ventilated hallways. You can say that a design or lack thereof, in this case, of this waiting room killed all these patients. Surprisingly, The phenomenon of people dying of hospital [ UNKNOWN ] infections is not something new. Records dating back from 1854 during the Crimean war show that the majority of deaths of soldiers were not caused by the wounds they suffered in the battle field. But from being treated in extremely unsanitary conditions. Florence Nightingale, a british nurse who was appointed to treat british soldiers reported on this. And she gave recommendations that wins to inspire what is now known as the Nightingale Award. These included lifting beds off the ground, including better ventilation and better lighting to the wards. And we know experiences where architects in the past have thoughtfully used these principles around infection control, patient Comfort and recovery to design better facilities. The Paimio Sanatorium in Finland by Alva Alto is one of the best examples, where he went as far as to redesign the sinks in shared rooms so that when the patients are washing up, they don't disturb Their roommates when they're trying to rest. So why is it that in the 21st century people are still dying of airborne and hospital acquired infections? We as an organization have had the opportunity to work with two thought leaders in global health. Dr Paul Farmer who's along global health activist and, co founder of partners in health an organization that focuses on offering the preferential option for the poor. And, Dr Agnes Binagwaho she was then minister of health for Rwanda. For these two The reason why people are still dying of these infections acquired in hospitals is a question of injustice for the poor and inequity in global health equity. [ BLANK_AUDIO ] My country, Rwanda, is a small developing nation, landlocked in the Central Eastern region. But it's a remarkable country. Following the 1994 genocide against Tutsi, the country made three choices remaining together, being accountable and thinking big. So, in 2006 when the government of Rwanda and partners in health partnered to build a hospital in North Rwanda. In a district called Burundi Districts. These were the same thing that fueled that partnership. Now, this district is incredibly beautiful, it sits below the [ UNKNOWN ] in the northwestern part of the country on the border between Rwanda, Uganda, and the DRC. But at the time, it was one of the most impoverished districts in the country. But because the issue of giving quality health care for [ UNKNOWN ] and Dr Agnes is an issue of human dignity and justice for all involved Butaro hospital had to be more than a healthcare facility. Rwanda is blessed with near perfect temperate climate. So, instead of having indoors waiting rooms and walk ways that we know have a serious threat To become dangerous, to make sicker if not well designed or properly operated. We can actually have this hallways and walkways outside in the gardens or on the gardens in the courtyards. A nice color palate on this campus doesn't only bring beauty and light to this campus, but also has to serve a different purpose. By matching it with the signage around the campus, you can actually direct someone who can't read in this area of high level illiteracy To a place that want to get you to this compass by telling them what color to follow. But how to build in infection control measures into the facility itself. By designing a fail soft system that minimizes the risk of airborne acquired infections in this hospital. At all times. [ BLANK_AUDIO ] And at the time it's scientifically proven that the site of a suffering patient delays recovery in other patients, a simple act of flipping the beds and offering each patient a view and a window To the view outside across the valley and into the gardens and courtyards can make a significant change in the thousands and thousands of lives of people who are going to go through this bed through the entire life of this hospital. These are decisions we architects and designers make Everyday but most of the time, and more than often we misuse or overlook simply. The success for Butaro is a story of the hospital born from this country, but speaks to global health issues around This club. For us, it's a good example of a purpose- built facility, but a purpose bigger than this hospital itself. We have now worked throughout the Rwanda Ministry of Health to redefine the standards for health care facilities in the country. Rethinking things like services sizes, minimum space requirements and injustices and so on. But also thinking about how conditions of citing this hospital for maximum passive systems and accessibility can be a policy requirement For all the facilities to come. And we've done this as well with the government of Liberia when we asked to help them develop infrastructure standards for healthcare facilities in that country as well. These two hospitals are under construction right now in Rwanda. On the left is Munini hospital, and on the right is [ UNKNOWN ] district hospitals. These two hospitals are both designed and plan to be built using the same systems, and improved standards. Using architecture to create a opportunities is very common. So, we've worked with people residents of Burera district to built what are hospital [ BLANK_AUDIO ] 4, 000 people we employed. We also try to come up with a new [ UNKNOWN ] system using the volcanic rock which is a material abundant in this region. And this obviously was very successful and also like Shed a spotlight on tanning that would otherwise not emerge. This is Akiza, on the left its him working on the hospital and on the right is five years later when he was working on a private commission of a client who visited the hospital and loved the volcanic rock And you can see how he continually improved his craft. The man is a legend now. I took this screenshot myself when I found him on the front page of We Transfer website. They now have a cooperative of 27 masons who go around the country just doing this But how do you retain doctors in [ UNKNOWN ] and encourage them to work and live and stay here when Sub Saharan Africa accounts for only 3 % of the global doctors population. [ UNKNOWN ] doctors housing was meant to just try and do this. And the fact that we able to design and build this facility and fabricate all furnitures and all fittings with the people in this region is proof that good architecture can be done everywhere and can be locally fabricated. The medical professional team group grew and [ UNKNOWN ] shared victors housing was meant to expand the accommodation and was complete d on the same campus. This hill which was once a military camp was nicknamed the healing hill. Which means, which is in our language [ FOREIGN ] With that name though came great responsibilities, and an alarming number of cancer cases was particularly of interest, not surpising because the developing word accounts for more than 70 % of the global estimates This Center of Excellence for outpatient cancer care was meant to respond to this. An existing building on the campus was designated to be home to this center. And it was very clear to us that indeed both renovations and expansion. But, what do you offer? To someone who has confirmed and quantified chances of dying. That offers them a sense of hope and comfort to get better. So the medication space was designed intentionally to open out and connect the beautiful vallies across with the hope that this is going to remove any sense of isolation in this [ UNKNOWN ] [ BLANK_AUDIO ] With the case up and running, obviously, people came as far as from Somaliland to seek care and [ UNKNOWN ] patient housing is meant to give affordable shelter to these people. When completed is going to compliment the available accommodation in this town And then on 25th of January this year the state of the art University of Global Health Equity opened its doors. With this, the once impoverished Burera Districts became one of the few places on this planet that is a center of knowledge. For delivery, research and education and quality healthcare. Obviously, we can't associate all the success to architecture and design. But, in this particular cases architecture companionship has been a significant catalyst. Of this vision to utilize equity and global health equity to deliver justice to the poorest, some of the poorest of this planet. This type of thinking about architecture and design is particularly important for the African continent. As it was said in the introduction, because by 2050, it's projected that Africa is going to grow to 2. 5 billion people. Back in 2015, in our office, we estimated that the infrastructure needed to accommodate this many people is unprecedented in the history of humankind. We estimated that 700 million more housing units, more than 300, 000 schools, and nearly 100, 000 health centers will need to be built to accommodate this increase in population on the continent. We obviously will continue to do this type of working together with all of you to push the boundaries of what architecture and design can do. But this need is just a [ UNKNOWN ], so we must also invest in the next generation of architects and designers who are committed to continue doing this type of work. Personally and in our practise we've decided to invest in African architect and designs. Last year ten fellows graduated from the African design center fellowship. Some of them remain working with us on our project across the continent, some of them went back to their countries to establish their own work. And others went on to do for the status in graduates programs. We were founded on the mantra that architecture is never neutral. And I believe somebody said it earlier yesterday that design can never be neutral. It either hurts or it helps And it's our collective responsibility to ensure it does the latter. We've come to understand and to believe that each project must achieve a simple, legible and transmissible idea. That the context of each and every project holds Power over this project's success that it simply cannot be ignored. [ BLANK_AUDIO ] That we shouldn't question whether our work has impact but in what ways and by how much, and that we must be intentional about who benefits From our work. And lastly and finally, we believe that justice is beauty, because every single person on this planet has a fundamental right to build towards that is beautiful And, one that improves the quality of life, thank you. [ APPLAUSE ] [ BLANK_AUDIO ]

Brainstorm Design 2019: Design in Focus the Need for Sexy Trash

Design

Our trash problem is an opportunity to transform the way we design, engineer, and manufacture. Trash is already the new building block. 