Bethesda Medical Center
- Year
- 2022
- Type
- Cultural
- Status
- Concept
- Firm
- AUGUST GREEN
- Location
- Cap-Haitien, Haiti
We cannot talk about equity or justice in our work until we have engaged, experienced, and empathized with those whom we are designing for. The greatest challenges we face go beyond the act of design itself. In 2019, the design team began to collaborate with the Bethesda Medical Center in Cap Haitian, Haiti. During this project, we became troubled once we realized that designing a single hospital would not solve the complex challenges we observed in Haiti. As a result, we have concluded that we need to think differently about how the impact from a single project could create subsequent implications not just for the users but also for an entire community as the origin of a ripple effect. While the task may have felt overwhelming, we desire to challenge the status quo and create localized community empowerment strategies. We cannot talk about equity or justice in our work until we have engaged, experienced, and empathized with those we are building for. I've come to realize that the most significant challenges go beyond the act of design itself. Bethesda started as a ministry of One Mission Society in 1961 when nurse, Flo Boyer, saw the suffering of many Haitian people and the lack of healthcare available. Since then, Bethesda has grown, and we are now working towards a new purpose-built hospital to meet the growing need. Flo Boyer began to treat patients in a 12x12 colonial building until the first campus buildings were completed in 1965 and 1968. Since completing the original campus, Bethesda Medical Center has served the community well. However, after many years, the medical center program has outgrown its spaces and deteriorated. In response to the need for new facilities, Bethesda Medical Center purchased new land for development on the city's outer edge and engaged with August Green to design the new campus. The campus' new location can serve both the city center and the rural areas outside the city. In addition, since most of the patients will be traveling on foot to get to the medical center, the design team created a campus plan to provide families with safety, food, and shelter while waiting for other family members to complete medical services and treatments
We cannot talk about equity or justice in our work until we have engaged, experienced, and empathized with those whom we are designing for. The greatest challenges we face go beyond the act of design itself. In 2019, the design team began to collaborate with the Bethesda Medical Center in Cap Haitian, Haiti. During this project, we became troubled once we realized that designing a single hospital would not solve the complex challenges we observed in Haiti. As a result, we have concluded that we need to think differently about how the impact from a single project could create subsequent implications not just for the users but also for an entire community as the origin of a ripple effect. While the task may have felt overwhelming, we desire to challenge the status quo and create localized community empowerment strategies. We cannot talk about equity or justice in our work until we have engaged, experienced, and empathized with those we are building for. I've come to realize that the most significant challenges go beyond the act of design itself. Bethesda started as a ministry of One Mission Society in 1961 when nurse, Flo Boyer, saw the suffering of many Haitian people and the lack of healthcare available. Since then, Bethesda has grown, and we are now working towards a new purpose-built hospital to meet the growing need. Flo Boyer began to treat patients in a 12x12 colonial building until the first campus buildings were completed in 1965 and 1968. Since completing the original campus, Bethesda Medical Center has served the community well. However, after many years, the medical center program has outgrown its spaces and deteriorated. In response to the need for new facilities, Bethesda Medical Center purchased new land for development on the city's outer edge and engaged with August Green to design the new campus. The campus' new location can serve both the city center and the rural areas outside the city. In addition, since most of the patients will be traveling on foot to get to the medical center, the design team created a campus plan to provide families with safety, food, and shelter while waiting for other family members to complete medical services and treatments