Friendship Hospital Satkhira

Facade concept

A low brick campus is organized as a miniature delta landscape of courts, shaded corridors and a rainwater canal. The façade is a sequence of recessed openings, arches and hand-made brick screens rather than a sealed hospital wall.

Envelope system and materials

Thick brick walls, deeply recessed openings and brick jali screen private areas while permitting airflow. Long corridor edges and courts form a porous, layered enclosure.

Locally made brick, reinforced concrete, metal grilles/railings, limited glazing, paving and water/landscape elements.

Structure, climate and shading

Structure. Reinforced-concrete framing and brick infill/load-bearing components are coordinated in low-rise pavilions. The repetitive bays support economical construction and clear circulation.

Climate response. Courtyards, shaded corridors, cross-ventilation and the central canal respond to heat, humidity and increasingly saline water conditions. Rain and surface runoff are retained on site.

Shading and daylight. Every opening is recessed or protected by an additional buffer; corridors shield west-facing rooms; jali and arches filter light while retaining privacy and airflow.

Fabrication, details and lifecycle

Fabrication. Local hand-made brick is used consistently for walls, screens, arches and texture. Repetition and simple spans support buildability in a resource-constrained rural setting.

Key details. Brick jali, pointed/segmental arches, shaded colonnades, the linear canal, courtyards, water tower and recessed windows generate a calm non-institutional identity.

Maintenance. Salinity, monsoon moisture, brick/mortar erosion, canal silt, drainage, metal corrosion and biological growth require continuous local maintenance and replaceable components.

Performance evidence

The project’s environmental logic is documented qualitatively through passive ventilation, daylight and water management. Public measured energy and indoor-comfort data remain limited.

Significance

An exemplary case of façade, water management and care programme forming one environmental system; awarded the RIBA International Prize in 2021.

Cultural and urban reading

Cultural reading. Courtyard and brick traditions are reworked into a humane healthcare environment, using familiar material and craft to reduce institutional alienation.

Urban role. The hospital serves a cyclone-affected rural population and sits as a self-contained low-rise settlement in a fragile delta landscape.