Centre Hospitalier Mère-Enfant Bamako
On behalf of the Raoul Follerau Foundation, various buildings of the Mother and Child Hospital Centre have been progressively built in Bamako, Mali. After the construction of the main building in 1998, rooms for administration, reception, laboratory and kitchen followed. The office of Jim Clemes undertook the following conversion and construction work, which was carried out in three construction phases. The first phase consisted of the reconstruction and extension of the existing operating area. Then a new building was constructed, which – in addition to rooms for the kitchen, laundry and conference areas – housed the nursing department on two levels. The last construction phase consisted of the conversion of the existing building with the consultation, polyclinic and delivery areas. The particular challenges of the project were the limited choice of materials and the scarcity of materials in Mali. In close cooperation with a local architect, the construction measures in Bamako were carried out. The aim was to reduce technology to a minimum, to dispense with air-conditioning and to create hygienic conditions with as few resources as possible. For the building envelope, the choice was made to use hollow bricks produced locally. On the outside walls, almost closed arches prevent the building from heating. An inner courtyard creates a natural air circulation in the building according to the system of an atrium house and thus enables a pleasant indoor climate without artificial air conditioning.
