Clinic Community

FUNCTION

Clinic Community strives to provide a variety of services to the citizens of Fort Liberté. In addition to serving as an innovative local clinic, the complex also provides educational services as well as opportunities for community involvement.

The clinical component is composed of standard medical program such as triage, exam rooms, observation rooms, laboratory, and pharmacy. The clinic provides anywhere from basic medical services to eye and dental care. In the proposed third phase of the project, a medical suite is included in order to fully encompass the needs of the local population. The waiting area of this component takes place in a designed intermediate space for comfort and ventilation. It is also articulated with a strategic color system in order to provide way-finding.

PREPARING FOR RAIN

When it rains, it pores in Haiti. So its important to keep rain from blowing into the building. woven palm wscreens used as windows and doors allow air to flow while keeping the rain out.

FORM

The plan of the complex is organized in a way that allows for both easy way-finding as a visitor of the clinic and also provides a sense of community. It achieves these things through the use of a courtyard scheme. The primary programmatic components of the structure are organized around a central courtyard that provides not only a large community space, but also allows adequate ventilation throughout the complex.

The courtyard is divided by a series of stepped concrete walkways. The steps of these pathways allow for additional seating and the pathways are placed in a way that relates exam rooms to the observation room, laboratory, and pharmacy. The pharmacy is located upon exit of the complex and can also be easily accessed from the street.

MADE IN HAITI

Another underlying concept of the Clinic Community is the commission of local artisans and craftsmen to create a comforting and recognizable environment for its visitors. These commissions would take form in everything from furniture and millwork to seasonal murals and wind chimes.

SEATING

The seating is made from painted #5 rebar and sealed palm wood and would be made by local craftsmen. Since much of the seating is in a semi-enclosed area slats afford a surface that would allow rain to run off.

Final Boards

Clinic at Fort Liberte - Team Sawyer, Sherborne, & Wetherington

Complete Project Page 1

Complete Project Page 2

 Much of Haiti's population cant read. Many have never been to a hospital. The medical need is so great that people will wait all day at a health care provider for the possibility of receiving care.

Our goal is to create a clinic that takes into consideration the patient experience and projects an image of professionalism, order and safety for its visitors.

As a patient, the first thing that you would receive upon checking into the facility is a card with a color on it. You would then be directed to go to the waiting room with the color that correspond to your card. The purpose of this system is to avoid both crowding and  confusion in the clinic: reduce crowding by spreading out the waiting areas, and reduce confusion by enabling the doctors to find their patients in the correct room color.

The only section of the main building that is completely enclosed is the single stretch of room at the core. Circulation and waiting are covered porches that look out onto a central courtyard. this allows for potential overflow space, natural ventilation and shading. This will also make it simpler to vent the core rooms by using a perforated wall on the east and south sides while maintaining privacy with a clearstory section on the west and north sides that encourages airflow through the rooms.

Another Important consideration for the function of the space is the path of circulation - or paths as the case is here. The types and range of treatments needed for patients will vary and it is important for movement through the facility to remain comprehensive and as uniform as possible. As such, we have taken into careful consideration the positioning of the entry, exit and used spaces so that no matter what you come to the clinic for, your journey through it remains relatively the same.

Kabwet Clinic - Reflections

Project Presentation PDF

This project, the Kabwet Clinic, is the design of a mobile medical unit meant to be used in rural locations by Haitians for Haitians. The unit would be stored in the city hospitals and deployed to remote locations on a systematic, daily basis in order to help release the existing pressure of overwhelming medical need in those areas. The design for the Kabwet Clinic is easily sustainable in such an area due to its ability to travel through diverse terrains by a variety of vehicles, and existing of components that can be replaced by local materials. Its design maximizes its lifespan and functionality. The key to the success of the Kabwet Clinic is its implementation into the Hatian culture and continued use by its population.

Ultimately, I feel as though this project is a success to its purpose. I would have liked to have more time to show in more detail the overall lifecycle of the cart specifically since we designed it so that it could be used for purposes other than the clinic. We did this for every aspect of the project but it was not shown as strongly as I would have liked in the presentation.  I am very proud of the illustration that we did use, however. I believe they communicate what we meant the to communicate.

The cart was probably what changed the most throughout the process. Our first iteration of its design was much more complicated,  specifying an extra set of wheels, a hand crank and a far-too-unrealistic hinge system. That we were able to siplify the transformation to a single hinging panel is a testament to the power of collaboration.  One of the things that most affected the design process was the change in type of medical treatment it was to provide. Much of the equipment we thought would be necessary in our early iteration was dropped in favor of carrying more of the basic care essentials - a decision that proved to be most advantageous as it lead to the possibility of a modular, multipurpose storage system.

 If we had more time to work on this design I would hope to rework the modular system to consist, instead of snap-seal plastic water-tight containers, of hefty wove baskets with a ridged lid and frame so that they could still be used as seats and work surfaces but could be manufactured locally. In order to make them water-tight I could specify an inner plastic layer that would serve as a sort of water skin and surround the contents of the boxes.

Update on Sunday, February 17, 2013 at 2:40PM by Mitzi Coker

I really like the design of the Kabwet Clinic.  The efficient use of space and the carts ability to be transformed into an examination table is a great idea.  The over-all design is pleasing, compact, and well thought out.  I think your thoughts on having the containers (baskets) woven by locals is a really good idea.  Everything that can be manufactured locally is great for the economy and also less expensive due to shipping costs and transportation issues.  Just curious...How did you come up with the name of the clinic?  Did it have to do with the tires you used on the cart?

Mitzi Coker

Update on Monday, February 18, 2013 at 11:37AM by Stephen Sawyer

 I really like this medical pack.  It would provide an ability to carry a lot of material, require little to no maintenance, detach medical supplies for easy access and availability, and also provide the user with an easy way to rest removing the weight from the shoulders during transport.