PARTNERS IN HEALTH HOUSING
Sharon Davis Design, in partnership with Rwanda Village Enterprise designed and built two Share Houses for Partners In Health and Ministry of Health in the rural Rwinkwavu, Rwanda for the hospital staff.
The design responded to the tight budget required by the clients, and its siting on the hot and dry hillside. The 8 bedrooms of each house are set on two different levels connected by a multiple tiered common space consisting of kitchen, dining and living rooms.
Each bedroom has its own private exterior space facing the views of the valley to the west with large overhangs for rain and heat protection. The bedrooms are connected to the shared bathrooms and common spaces with a covered and screened exterior walkway. The eucalyptus screen wraps around the uphill side of the house providing a sense of enclosure and privacy for it residents and also a connection to more traditional ways of building.
All the construction materials were sourced from within the country and most from within the neighboring area. Local stone was quarried for all foundations and walkways. A local women’s cooperative was employed to make all the handmade bricks for the wall construction. A ventilated roof cavity was clad with clay tiles for excellent thermal and acoustic performance. In order to help support the local economy, approximately 90% of the labor was local to the poor and rural village of Rwinkwavu, and women represented a minimum of 1/3 of the staff throughout construction.
