An IASH Work-in-Progress seminar, delivered by Professor Ola Uduku (Nominated Fellow 2023; University of Liverpool, School of Architecture)
Researching hospitals and healthcare architecture in Africa
This seminar presents the initial research findings into the creation of healthcare facilities in Africa. Focusing specifically on West Africa, it seeks to reveal and document the inception, design and creation of healthcare structures, from dispensaries to teaching hospitals in West Africa from the late 19th century to the 1970s, which essentially covers the period of most of the African continent’s transition from traditional medicine practices to Western medicine. Its emphasis will be on the buildings and building typologies with a view to understanding how these new forms of infrastructure, (hospitals, clinics, and other health care facilities) were incorporated into local life and what the long(er) term benefits if known were for the communities and wider societies in which their presence was felt.
This should allow for critical analysis and understanding of what makes for successful healthcare infrastructure design in Africa today, taking into account the past history of provision, and how this knowledge might better inform local healthcare planning. This also links into ongoing exploration into the architecture of aid. It is hoped that New College and University archives will yield information on this, as both the Presbyterian Church and Edinburgh University Medical School were involved in medical provision and teaching in sub Saharan Africa.
Click the link below to join the webinar:
https://ed-ac-uk.zoom.us/j/86535202023
Passcode: Vr8f3ew2