Project Spotlight: Cao Bang Family Health Center
March Studio teamed up with Good Samaritan Medical and Dental Ministry (GSMDM) to build a family medical facility that will serve Cao Bang City and the surrounding community at an unprecedented time of need. We sat down with Principal Architect, Todd Erlandson, to ask him about the project, and the story behind the new medical center.
For those who have never been, what's it like in Vietnam, or more specifically Cao Bang?
Cao Bang Province is a mountainous region tucked away in a remote area of Northern Vietnam and less than 20 miles from China's border. The province is sparsely populated but is home to many minority communities that have lived in the area for centuries, each with its own special craft and way of living.
Cao Bang City is situated along the Song Bang River and is a base for anyone traveling to or from the small hill tribes, scenic waterfalls, and rice paddies
What's the healthcare experience like in remote areas of Vietnam?
For these communities, going to the hospital is often a dire experience. People with means most often fly to Thailand for medical care, leaving the government-run hospitals to the poorest of the poor. Dr. Doan wanted to change that experience. People should feel cared for and loved and receive treatment in the highest quality facilities with well-trained doctors and the best equipment.
So how did March Studio get involved in the initiative?
About 15 years ago, there was an opportunity to create a medical center, and I traveled to Vietnam with Dr. Doan to observe the remote clinics and view a potential property for construction. Unfortunately, those negotiations with the Vietnamese government fell through.
In 2018, Leigh and I traveled to Vietnam again with Dr. Daon and the GSMDM team. We went to see a site in the city of Cao Bang, and met with a local contractor. Once approved to move forward, we began designing a family clinic operated by local doctors who GSMDM has trained in western medical techniques.
Our challenge as the design team was to create a welcoming, inviting, and safe space for a community that lacked trust in medical practitioners and facilities and in a way that was respectful of the context the facility will function. Not to mention, all while designing from across the globe, the differences in construction typology, and certainly the language barrier.
March's process is highly collaborative, and in this case, the client is not only Dr. Doan, but also GSMDM and everyone they aim to serve. How did the design team incorporate the needs of such a broad and diverse community, and what was the outcome?
We didn't want to drop a building in that didn't fit into the cultural context. We invested a lot of time to understand the local conditions - how things are made and how things are done - to incorporate the wishes and goals. We documented all kinds of buildings in Cao Bang City. We looked for instances of modern and contemporary facilities. We looked at construction techniques. All the research and documentation we collected informed a design in a language and built in a way that carefully incorporated both the context and the client's vision and mission for what he wanted to provide for the local people.
The result is a large capacity medical facility that will serve the surrounding community at an unprecedented time of need (medically and otherwise) while building trust and enhancing the health of those in the community, as well as providing opportunities to those practicing medicine.
The project in Cao Bang was already in progress when the pandemic hit, and March received PPP funding. How was it affected?
Before everything shut down, we were already working at a reduced rate, so the PPP really allowed us to go the extra mile with interior finishes and materials. It also allowed us to focus more on the experience of the space and give it the high quality of finish that Dr. Doan envisioned and the patients deserve.