ANIDAN Paediatric Clinic, Lamu Island, Kenya

The first Children's Clinic in the Island of Lamu, inside the ANIDAN complex.

This children’s clinic is located on the outskirts of Lamu where there had previously been no medical assistance. The budget was quite restricted, so we focused on using locally-available materials – coral stone, mangrove poles, lime and makuti (palm leaves). To avoid heavy energy consumption, the design had to ensure that the building would remain cool during the many hot months on the island. This factor translated into creating natural ventilation via a long alleyway that is open to the roof and works like a chimney, drawing air in and out. In addition, the whole project is powered by windmills and solar panels. Since construction, the clinic has been a complete success, attending to some 50,000 children in just two years.

Location
Lamu Island, Kenya

Year
2007

Client
ANIDAN

Area
350m²

Collaborators
Margarita Colorado

Renders
–

Photos
Urko Sánchez Architects, Alberto Heras, Javier Callejas

Status
Completed