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Student Design Wins International Acclaim
Two Rensselaer architecture students have received awards in an international juried competition for their original design of a mobile HIV/AIDS health clinic to be used in sub-Saharan Africa.
The competition was sponsored by Architecture for Humanity, a nonprofit organization based in New York City that encourages architects and designers to seek solutions to social and humanitarian crises around the globe.
The goal was to design a fully equipped mobile medical unit and treatment center that could be used for testing, prevention, and treatment of the disease. The center would also be a place to disseminate information and to provide basic health-care services.
The design, submitted by fifth-year architecture students Brendan Harnett and Michelle Myers, was named “Best Student Entry” and took second place overall. Harnett and Myers comprised the only student team and the only U.S. entrants to win in the competition.
Their unit, called B.O.C.S.M.E.D.S. (Basic Operable Container System for Medical Equipment Distribution and Supply), was selected from more than 522 teams representing 50 nations. An international jury of architects and medical professionals selected the winners.
The B.O.C.S.M.E.D.S. units can be transported by train, truck, automobile, even cart or porters in some remote areas. Medical units range from simple medical supply containers to those designated to carry specific medical equipment. Others include portable examination rooms and washbasins.
Experts estimate that three-quarters of the world’s AIDS population lives in sub-Saharan Africa. Most of these people have no access to lifesaving drugs, testing facilities, or even basic preventative care. One of the major factors inhibiting medical professionals in Africa from treating the disease is the inability to access vast areas of the continent with adequately equipped facilities.
All fifth-year students in Rensselaer’s architecture program submitted designs to this international competition as part of their final senior project, according to Alan Balfour, dean of architecture.
Originally published in Rensselaer Magazine, March 2003 |
