Project Description

Volume Against Delay: Maternal Health Outpost for Drought-Prone Teesta Char, Kurigram

In the Teesta char areas of Kurigram, drought creates serious risks for pregnant women. As the river recedes, the land becomes dry, cracked, and difficult to cross. Villages remain scattered across vast sandy terrain, and access to hospitals can take hours. During labor complications, women are often carried manually over long distances. In these critical moments, delay can endanger both mother and child. This project proposes a small, first-response maternal health outpost designed specifically for drought conditions. It is not a full hospital, but a safe-delivery and stabilization unit that provides immediate care before transfer to larger medical facilities if required. The structure is designed for rapid construction using locally available materials such as bamboo, woven panels, and simple joinery systems. Because it relies on familiar building techniques, local people can assemble it themselves without specialized labor. The unit can be constructed within a few hours, allowing communities to build it whenever and wherever it is needed. This makes it adaptable to the shifting nature of char settlements. The angular form and extended roof create deep shade to reduce heat gain during extreme summer temperatures. Woven wall panels ensure cross-ventilation while protecting against dust. Foldable wall panels open outward to form shaded waiting and triage areas and allow easy access for stretchers. When closed, the structure becomes compact and secure. Inside, the layout includes a maternity bed, essential medical storage, and a small water and sanitation corner. The roof also enables rainwater collection for basic hygiene use. More than a building, this project is a tool for immediacy — a structure that can rise within hours to protect a mother at her most vulnerable moment, turning distance and delay into timely care.

Selected lens: Narrative depth, Future Resilience