Building Design

Building Design and Healthy Economic Growth

The hospital will be a showcase for environmentally friendly construction and energy conservation, with renewable energy-efficient systems. In keeping with principles of ecological sustainability, the new hospital will feature some of the best examples of “green” design and materials available.  

The Trust plans to offer workshops, whereby members of the local community are trained to assist with the construction, while on-site training (skills transfer) will also take place before and during the construction phases. Wherever possible, materials are to be purchased from local businesses, while local skills will be employed to build capacity as far as practically possible. We foresee that employment opportunities will also be created for the local communities once the hospital is operational.

The design of the hospital will be based on an intelligent and radical design employing a holistic approach that doesn’t follow standard solutions, but still meets the high functional requirements of a healthcare establishment.

Facilities of the new hospital

The new hospital will provide medical care to the surrounding communities that form part of a nation with a high burden of disease, including the third highest HIV prevalence in the world. The first phase will provide emergency medical care, basic medical and surgical inpatient and outpatient care, essential maternity services and will include two operating theatres and a paediatric facility. The hospital will be a vital training resource for volunteer staff, visiting allied healthcare workers, general medical practitioners and medical specialists.The hospital will work in close collaboration with the existing government and faith-based primary healthcare centres in the area.

The following phases will also include:

  • Additional Operating Theatres
  • Fully built out Emergency Centre
  • Maternity and Neonatal Department
  • Medical and Surgical Wards
  • High-Care Unit
  • Isolation Rooms / Wards
  • Outpatient Facilities
  • Rehabilitation Facilities
  • Dental Services
  • Ophthalmology Services
  • Conference Room
  • Volunteer, Staff and Student Accommodation
  • Medical Training Centre – training of staff and local community

The Pilot Phase Project

The Trust broke ground in June 2020 to start construction of the Pilot Phase which will be a multi-functional building. It will serve as a new veterinary and community centre and will provide a veterinary clinic, a training and development facility, and accommodation for visiting teams. The multi-functional facility will serve as research and development station for the future hospital construction, is the first phase of an upskilling process, honing construction techniques and developing trade crafts that will be applied to the future hospital building. This beautiful, self-sustaining, eco-friendly 200m2 facility is a synthesis of traditional building methods and forms with contemporary, performance- based technology.