Health Care Hut of Ain Araham

International School of Architecture -ISA- Sfax

Project idea

Despite the progress in the medical sector in Tunisia in recent decades, major problems of access to health services still persist mainly within the country.
Indeed, the distribution of basic health facilities presents a certain imbalance between the Tunisian coastal regions and the other regions of the country. So I chose as a site of intervention the locality of Aïn Drahem in the north-west of Tunisia, one of the most marginalized regions of the country. Moreover, a community of 10 thousand inhabitants is served by only one basic health centre, a former dispensary whose state is very degraded.The land chosen for my intervention is located west of the village of Ain Draham on a main road in a location quite far from the current dispensary dominated by forest mountain ranges.

Project description

Ain Draham is known for its humid temperate climate with heavy precipitation in the winter or it occasionally snows. The topography of the site as well as its climate dictated a particular construction method for the region giving it a certain architectural identity (wooden construction, sloping roof, tiles ).The whole presents white walls covered in red tiles encrusted in the greenery of the mountains next door.
The rather particular landscape inspired me enormously in my conceptual approach.
Functionally, the project consists of seven major functional units.
. A first aid emergency block with independent access from the main track, a consultation block including tele-consultation cells, an analytical laboratory block, a radiology block and an administrative block, and a spacious reception near meeting space (conference room, café) that can accommodate socio-cultural activities. These common spaces are places of encounter, sharing and sociability for the community. These different spaces are articulated around interior gardens allow on the one hand a natural lighting zenith inside and on the other hand, a green and zen interior atmosphere.

Technical information

The idea is to design a local health equipment that takes the aspects of Aïn Draham’s architecture in a contemporary way in order to integrate the project into its environment.
This is how I opted for a constructive world whose structure is made of large porticoes of glulam wood (abundant material of the region). The whole is covered with sloped roofs dressed in red tiles preventing the condensation of the snow on the roof and allow an easy drainage of rainwater (that is envisaged to recover them in underground tanks).

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