Dynamic Design for the Masses

From GOOD…

The pat social critique of architecture is doubtless as old as architecture itself: High design is nice to have, but it’s a luxury. MASS, a new Boston- and Kigali, Rwanda-based firm, aims to change the mindset that shelves ambitious building design in times of crisis. MASS co-founder Marika Clark says the revelation came three years ago, when she and fellow designers learned that NGOs often weren’t using architects for major projects in troubled areas: “[They] were building critical infrastructure work without the use of design professionals.” And at first architecture was a tough sell, even to current client Partners in Health: “PIH was very unsure of how architects could be useful at that point,” she says. Eventually, the organization came around, commissioning the project MASS now sees as its flagship, the under-construction Butaro Hospital in the Burera District. More…