Children’s House
design to prevent malnutrition in West African villages
Kaira Looro Competition 2022
Collaborators: Kunyue Qi, Jisu Yang, Sam Monlia-Wong
2022
View from the Courtyard, looking into Hospital Area
Background and Design Goal:
Sedhiou, a rural region located at the south of Senegal, is one of the least developed in the country to a lack of development and accessibility to resources. This area has the highest child malnutrition rate in the country, 1 in 3 children is at risk of malnutrition, resulting in a higher mortality rate. The Children’s House is a warm and welcoming place intended to provide nutritional materials, raise hygiene and healthcare awareness, host social care appointments, and educate
community pediatricians.
The design not only offers a space for children to heal and grow, but also fosters mother-like moments of care. We addressed the needs of children from both clinical and psychological perspectives, providing sheltering beds for physical healing and areas of for emotional bonding and mental growth.
User and Program:
The mother’s role has always been significant in African families, especially when it comes to providing food, nutrition, water, health, and education. In the practice of weaving, love and care are woven into the fabric by the hands of the mothers, this empathetic act is the basis for the program’s intersection. The administrative areas for staff and learning spaces for pediatricians are crucial to host events and gatherings. They can be hosted in the outdoor gathering spaces, or the sunken courtyard with submerged seating surfaces in the center of the building.
The scorching sun breaks in through the soft gaps of bamboo,
radiant but delicate.
Waves of cool wind flow in from the elevated roof openings.
The sound of steps lingering along the bamboo pivoting walls.
Mothers gather around the sunken courtyard,
chatting and weaving for their children.
Just steps away in the playfield,
the children passing around a soccer ball
under their mothers’ watchful eyes.
Arrival Entry View, looking into Admin Office and Recreational Area
View of Hospital Area
View of Corridor
View from Sunken Garden