The inspiration and impact of MASS Design Group
If you were lucky enough to catch Alan Rick’s talk, “The Future of How Buildings Are Made: A Stimulant for Your Next Project,” part of the Building Innovation Forum at AU Las Vegas 2014, you already know about the incredibly inspiring and brilliant minds behind MASS Design Group.
If you missed it, you can watch the full talk online.
With this in mind, we were excited to see MASS Design featured on Autodesk’s Line//Shape//Space blog. “MASS Design Builds With Beauty, Dignity, and Hope in Rwanda and Beyond” is an uplifting read we think you’ll love.
MASS Design Group was founded when Harvard graduates Michael Murphy and Alan Ricks learned that Dr. Paul Farmer, founder of Partners in Health, was designing clinics for underprivileged communities in underdeveloped countries on paper napkins. (Yep, you read that right.) Murphy and Ricks got to work forming MASS Design and replacing his napkin-based process with their unique approach, which combines form, purpose, and meaning while engaging the local community in the building process. They work with the intention to not only make buildings that are beautiful and practical, but to create opportunity and promote dignity as well.
Building a hospital in a remote area of Rwanda was MASS Design’s first project. The resulting Butaro District Hospital is more than just a building. It features an innovative design that promotes health through simple means like beds that face windows. The building improves ventilation by – here’s an idea – harnessing fresh air. The project has made an impact on the local community by creating jobs, giving the people something of value to care for, and attracting doctors to the region to create a healthier future. As if that weren’t enough, the place is jaw-droppingly gorgeous.
MASS now has 20 other projects in development, from schools in partnership with the African Wildlife Foundation to a cholera treatment center in Haiti. They’re also inspiring change here in the United States with projects like the Family Partnership Center in hurricane-struck Poughkeepsie, New York. There MASS designs are helping the community rebuild in a meaningful way while inspiring change for the good.
MASS Design Group, our hats are off to you for elevating architecture and design to a new level, giving architecture new meaning, and enhancing its value on so many levels. Kudos!
