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Kenya Women and Children’s Wellness Center

Category: Category C: Unbuilt

AIA-Slideshow

Aerial View

AERIAL VIEW <BR /><BR /> Kenya's Women's and Children's Wellness Center in downtown Nairobi. <BR /><BR /> Location: Nairobi, Kenya<BR /> Firm: Perkins+Will<BR /> Architect: Ralph Johnson, FAIA

Wellness Schematic

WELLNESS SCHEMATIC <BR /><BR /> The large scale program areas of the Diagnostics & Treatment are the only major areas that do not require natural daylight and that require mechanical ventilation. These characteristics allow the mass to be buried below the rest of the facility and therefore lowering the overall scale of the village. <BR /><BR /> Location: Nairobi, Kenya<BR /> Firm: Perkins+Will<BR /> Architect: Ralph Johnson, FAIA

Courtyard View

COURTYARD VIEW <BR /><BR /> A central outdoor stepping pathway connects the pavilions and a series of exterior courtyards through the entire site. <BR /><BR /> Location: Nairobi, Kenya<BR /> Firm: Perkins+Will<BR /> Architect: Ralph Johnson, FAIA

Patient Room with a View

PATIENT ROOM WITH A VIEW <BR /><BR /> On the campus of the United States International University in Nairobi, the Wellness Center is intended to be a Wellness Village?a comprehensive healthcare facility that includes a 170-bed hospital, outpatient clinics, an institute of learning, a gender violence counseling center, and a family hostel. <BR /><BR /> Location: Nairobi, Kenya<BR /> Firm: Perkins+Will<BR /> Architect: Ralph Johnson, FAIA

Interior Courtyard

INTERIOR COURTYARD <BR /><BR /> Nairobi benefits from an ideal year-round climate - resulting from its equatorial location and high altitude. Massing and envelope strategies take advantage of this to reduce energy. By positioning the thin pavilion bars in an east-west orientation, the campus opens up to prevailing breezes to promote cross ventilation. <BR /><BR /> Location: Nairobi, Kenya<BR /> Firm: Perkins+Will<BR /> Architect: Ralph Johnson, FAIA

Design Solution

Design in the developing world requires further consideration of local social issues than in the westernized world. In the case of Kenya, citizens are generally group-oriented rather than individualistic. “Harambee,” defines the Kenyan approach to others they meet in life. The concept is about mutual assistance, mutual effort, mutual responsibility, and community self-reliance. Using this principal as guidance provided the appropriate balance between global healthcare standards and local customs for the design of The Kenyan Women’s and Children’s Wellness Center.

Jury Comments

Breaking the building program down into individualized functional components and then organizing them as a series of pavilions which are tied together by a circulation pathway is in keeping with the image of village community. The ability to 'harvest' as well as 'protect' from nature is eloquently delivered within a vocabulary that stays true to its context.

Excellent response to addressing the needs of the walking public. The building program provides the privacy, adjacency and accessibility for patients and family members. The placement of the family village, day care and institute addresses the community approach to improving healthcare.

Photo Credits

© Ralph Johnson, FAIA

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