Documentation Phase - Involved drafting a map of the village with infrastructure, housing typologies and visual character. Throughout this phase, we engaged in conversations with the residents, walked alongside beautiful fields which they are proud of, breathed the fresh air of the rural world and got a better understanding of life in Thooduponamoolai.
Concept Phase - After much thought about what problem to tackle, I settled on one - Poor health care to the people of thooduponamoolai. A rural health centre in the heart of the village was my solution to the problem.
RURAL HEALTH CENTRE
Design for a village in South India
RURAL HEALTH CENTRE
Integrated Product Development
ANKITA ARVIND
METHODS
Secondary Research | Documentation and interviews | Analyzing problems and challenges | Site Analysis | Concept generation | Final Design proposal
OVERVIEW
Group documentation , Individual Project proposal | 2012 | 4 months | Architecture
The health centre was compact, with space for a consulting room, emergency surgery room, waiting area, multi-purpose hall for health camps (mainly), Pharmacy and toilets. It was a complete package that would help people attend to their medical issues immediately, without having to travel 4 km to get to the nearest clinic and being denied an appointment after the long journey. The architectural elements used were wooden pillars, terracotta roof tiles and mud-brick walls, so as to blend into the fabric of the existing village and be accepted by the people as their own. It is simple to build and the idea was also to create temporary construction jobs for people who were struggling and also to make them feel proud of their Rural Health Centre.