Bangladesh’s climate-resilient hospital building earns world recognition

By Md. Kamruzzaman

SATKHIRA, Bangladesh (AA) - A remote hospital in Bangladesh’s southwestern Satkhira district has earned international recognition as the world’s best building and as a model infrastructure resilient to the impacts of climate change.

Located near the world’s largest mangrove forest, the Sundarbans, and the Bay of Bengal, the rainwater-harvesting health facility Friendship Hospital won the 2021 Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) International Prize.

In a declaration in January this year, RIBA applauded the “architecture of care both for humanity and for nature” of the hospital building in Satkhira’s Shyamnagar area, about 125 miles (201 kilometers) southwest of the capital Dhaka.

“The building responds innovatively to the challenging environmental conditions of the Bengal, a fragile and dynamic environment directly impacted, without protection, to rising sea levels,” said RIBA in a statement.

Speaking to Anadolu Agency, the designer of the hospital and noted architect Kashef Chowdhury said it was a huge challenge for them to develop such a climate-resilient hospital in a remote disaster-prone area with a very limited budget.

“Water is everywhere in this underprivileged area. But people have to buy water for drinking and other family needs due to the excessive salinity,” Chowdhury said, adding even water collected by the shallow tube-wells in the area is salty due to climate change impacts on the water both under and above the ground.

“People do not take baths in most of the ponds as those are the main sources of drinking water for the destitute locals, and the situation in the dry season turns worse,” Chowdhury noted, saying that all the people in the area desperately try to preserve rainwater.

Recalling the massive disaster in Satkhira during the major cyclone Sidr in 2007, he added: “After staying many days in the vulnerable area and reviewing the experiences of the people, we finally decided to develop a rainwater-harvesting hospital here that will be unique in design and also climate-resilient.” ​​​​​​​

- Global model

After the global recognition, Friendship Hospital has turned into an attraction for tens of thousands of people in Bangladesh.

Every weekend, a huge number of visitors throng the area to visit the hospital, which is mostly made of local red bricks that are also popular for their salinity resilient nature and reasonable price.

“It’s really amazing to see such an awesome hospital in this far-off locality, and every part of the building is unique and attractive,” Sara Ebadi, who came to visit the hospital from the neighboring district of Khulna, told Anadolu Agency.

Referring to a zigzagging canal on the grounds and the big pond at the front side of the hospital, another visitor, Taslima Khanam, said more such hospitals should be developed in other remote areas to eliminate discrimination between urban and rural people.

“It is a role model for the whole world that we have developed a very beautiful and environment-friendly hospital using all local materials and with a minimal budget of only $2 million,” Chowdhury said.

The hospital, located on 6 kathas (86,400 square feet) of former cropland, has also set an example for the maximum use of natural resources.

“We have designed it in such a way that 100% rainwater falling on the whole hospital premises flows into the front pond and another water reservoir tank. Even rainwater falling on the roof of the building also goes into the zigzagging canal that has connected the front pond and the backside reservoir tank,” said Chowdhury.

The hospital building has been designed in a way that interconnected courtyards and openings bring in natural light and air, and save power.

“We also save a huge amount of power as most of the hospital’s activities are conducted in the daytime with natural sunlight as it has been designed in a way that the whole day we get enough daylight and natural air. We also use air cooler machines only for some operation theatres and other laboratories,” he said.

- Lifeline for rural poor

The 80-bed hospital has been serving as a lifeline for thousands of needy people in the area, who are mostly farmers and fishermen.

“I have never seen such a nice hospital in my life. I am very pleased to be here. I have shared my problems with the doctor, who has listened and prescribed (medicine to) me very cordially,” a local housewife, Sumaya Akhter, told Anadolu Agency.

People are pleased to receive modern treatment in a very natural environment with a cheap cost at the health facility.

“This hospital is so clean and looks like a great palace. After coming here, the beauty of the building and other natural environment makes us happy,” a local youth, Mohammad Jakibul Hasan, who came to visit a patient, told Anadolu Agency.

Chowdhury added that they have set up different parts of the hospital in such a way that a patient or visitor cannot see hospital garbage.

“One can only enjoy the natural beauty here and take services,” he said.

“Before the international recognition as the world’s best building, RIBA authorities considered both beauty and the most crucial climate-resilient issues,” he noted, saying they have a dream to develop more such health facilities in other vulnerable rural areas of Bangladesh as more than 70% of the population lives in villages.

According to government data, 42 million people in Bangladesh living in 19 coastal districts are under severe threat of climate change impacts, while a one-meter (3.2-foot) rise in the sea level could inundate one-fifth of the country in the near future.

Climate-resilient infrastructures like Friendship Hospital can play a pivotal role in that critical situation.