丨卢旺达丨MASS Design Group

Butaro Doctors Housing

Project Data

Year: 2015

Status: Completed

Size: 1,000 sq m

Location: Butaro, Burera District, Rwanda, Africa

Partners: Brigham and Women’s Hospital, The Daniel E. Ponton Fund, Partners In Health, Rwanda Ministry of Health

Photographer: Iwan Baan

Phase 1: Housing: Sierra Bainbridge, Christian Benimana, Michelle Benoit, Andrew Brose, Commode Dushimimana, Jennifer Gaugler, Benjamin Hartigan, Sarah Kitchin, Jean Michel Maniragaba, Chris Maurer, Kayihura Nyundo, Alan Ricks, Christian Uwinkindi

Phase 2: Sharehousing: Sierra Bainbridge, Garrett Benisch, Commode Dushimimana, Sarah Kitchin, Marcela Laverde, Martin Pavlinic, Alan Ricks, Nicolas Rivard, Obed Sekamana, Christian Uwinkindi, Jean Paul Uzabakiriho, Tim White

Full Team

Phase 1: Housing: Sierra Bainbridge, Christian Benimana, Michelle Benoit, Andrew Brose, Commode Dushimimana, Jennifer Gaugler, Benjamin Hartigan, Sarah Kitchin, Jean Michel Maniragaba, Chris Maurer, Kayihura Nyundo, Alan Ricks, Christian Uwinkindi

Phase 2: Sharehousing: Sierra Bainbridge, Garrett Benisch, Commode Dushimimana, Sarah Kitchin, Marcela Laverde, Martin Pavlinic, Alan Ricks, Nicolas Rivard, Obed Sekamana, Christian Uwinkindi, Jean Paul Uzabakiriho, Tim White

View Less

View More

Located adjacent to the Butaro District Hospital, the Butaro Doctors Housing attracts and retains skilled physicians by providing quality, community-oriented staff accommodation.

To strengthen rural healthcare delivery and attract medical professionals to remote areas, MASS, in collaboration with the Daniel E. Ponton Fund at Brigham and Women’s Hospital, designed and built two phases of housing on the Butaro District Hospital campus in northern Rwanda.

Despite the fact that most Rwandans live in rural areas, a 2010 study showed that 88% of physicians and 58% of nurses were concentrated in urban settings. In response, these housing initiatives were developed to improve physician retention and support the Rwanda Ministry of Health’s goal of making Butaro a model for rural healthcare and a leading teaching hospital in East Africa.

The first phase, completed in 2012, includes four two-bedroom single-family homes. Each unit features a kitchen and living room that open to the surrounding landscape, creating a welcoming and restorative setting for physicians.

The second phase, known as the Butaro Doctors Sharehousing, responds to a growing need for short- and medium-term accommodations for visiting doctors, nurses, and other clinical staff. This set of three larger, communal-style houses accommodates more than 15 people while offering both private quarters and generous shared spaces for cooking, dining, and gathering.

Together, the housing terraces along the hillside adjacent to the hospital, minimizing disruption to the existing topography while providing expansive views of the valley below. The Sharehousing design builds on the architectural identity established by the original homes, maintaining a consistent aesthetic and a strong sense of place as the medical campus continues to grow.

The plantings on site include ornamentals preferred by the local physician’s team, as well as native plants whose seeds were collected and propagated on site, being the first project MASS was able to reframe local species as valuable for biodiversity, as well as beautiful.

Both phases were delivered using a design-build approach that prioritized sustainability and local investment. Structures were built from compressed stabilized earth blocks (CSEBs) made on-site using local soil. Elements such as cabinetry, windows, and doors were crafted by local masons and woodworkers trained through the project, further developing construction capacity in the region. In total, the projects created over 900 jobs and generated $400,000 in wages for the local and regional economies.

The landscape design works intimately with the existing agricultural terracing to create private outdoor gathering for each house, while offering expansive views of Rwanda’s 1000 hills and the globally precious and Ramsar-recognized Rugezi wetlands. The site also utilizes regenerative stormwater catchment for each home, as well designing a biofiltration area for the neighborhood.

The Doctors Housing and Sharehousing form part of a larger ecosystem of healthcare infrastructure at Butaro, which includes the Butaro District Hospital, Butaro Cancer Center of Excellence, and Butaro Oncology Support Center. As part of a holistic vision for healthcare in rural East Africa, these facilities demonstrate how thoughtful design and investment in local communities can dramatically enhance care delivery, workforce stability, and long-term health outcomes.