We were commissioned the design of a medical centre in Bamako (Mali).

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The medical centre was located on the outskirts of the city, close to one of the main roads leading to the city centre, in front of a small canal. The plot, of almost 7.000 m2, had a drop of 11 meters between the lowest and the highest point. It was a rocky terrain with reddish aggregates and gravel.

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As the project had to take into account the severe climatic conditions of the site, that is, heavy rainy seasons and frequent sandstorms together with the client’s request for a net zero energy building, it presented design, structural and constructive challenges.

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From de very beginning, we sought to incorporate the topography into the building, which allowed us to minimise earthworks. We defined different ground-floor levels that gave access to different parts of the medical centre from different points, all with a single access control, as they were all joined by a large vestibule that included the more public parts of the clinic, the shops and the pharmacy.

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The program was organised around a large patio that absorbed the contact between the natural topography and the floor level of the building from which the bar, the gym and the labs were accessible. The communications within the building were structured in ramps that gave access to all the levels. A big effort was put on organising the program to minimise the displacement of the medical staff and the patients.

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Its construction was planned to be carried out using local and low environmental impact materials: load-bearing walls of compressed earth blocks (BTC) and floors built in laterite tiles using the Catalan vault technique. The roof was also built using the Catalan vault technique, but it had a complex geometry designed with the aid of form finding digital tools.

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