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Case Study: Africa
Côte d’Ivoire
Helping to build Ivorian
Health Systems
Hospital Saint Jean-Baptist was inaugurated earlier this year by the president of the
Republic of Côte d’Ivoire, his excellency Mr. Alassane Ouattara.
I
ncepted as a corporate social responsibility programme
and jointly funded by Ordre de Malte and SCB (Société
d’étude et de Développement de la culture Bananière),
the idea was to give back to the community by creating
jobs while also facilitating the provision of healthcare.
At the same time, the two organisations provided
support for the government’s decentralisation policy for
socioeconomic infrastructure, which includes healthcare.
According to a SCB spokesperson, the job-creation
imperative made the Hydraform Building System the
obvious choice. For this hospital in the Agnéby-Tiassa
region of Côte d’Ivoire, the organisations were looking
at a product that would use local labour, provide skills
development and use local materials as far as possible,
all without compromising quality or aesthetics. It helped
that the Hydraform system had been used by others in
the region and was already “tried-and-tested”, so to
speak.
Crucially, tests have proven that the thermal properties
of the Hydraform interlocking block are actually three
times better than that of conventional concrete blocks.
Furthermore, the rapid pace at which construction could
be completed using the system also weighed in favour of
the Hydraform system.
Perhaps most interesting is the energy efficiency
of the finished building. Thanks to a small airflow gap
between the roof and the structure, a fresh breeze blows
constantly between the roof and ceiling. This, together
with the superior thermal properties of Hydraform blocks,
means that a single air conditioner is sufficient to cool
down each building.