Protecting lives in Nepal: Anandaban Hospital Trauma Centre
The Anandaban Hospital sits on a forested slope in Lele, Kathmandu, where it serves leprosy patients as well as the local community. In 2015 Nepal suffered a series of high-magnitude earthquakes which destroyed buildings and caused fatal landslides in the Himalayas. Nearly 9,000 people died and more than 22,000 suffered injuries.
On the hospital site, the quakes caused structural damage to many of the buildings, leaving them unsafe to use. Without adequate facilities, staff struggled to provide the level of emergency care needed in the earthquakes’ aftermath.
The hospital site in the Kathmandu valley (artist’s impression)
A reputation for safe seismic design
After the disaster, The Leprosy Mission UK asked Article 25 to undertake a Feasibility Study for the site. Our track record in delivering seismically safe buildings meant that we could help the hospital build a new and resilient Trauma Centre – a building that would need to remain standing and be immediately ready to serve the community after any future earthquakes. You can read more about the project’s origins and design here.
Our team reviewed the extensive damage to the buildings across the Anandaban complex and prepared a Master Plan. This plan addressed the medium-term development and reorganisation of the entire hospital site. During the consultation and design process, it became clear that the hospital needed a Trauma Centre that would act as an A&E department as well. Our Senior Architect, Toby Pear, explains:
“As an A&E department, this building will have a vital role to play in any futures earthquakes. After the 2015 quakes, the hospital had no space to work from and was forced to set up tents to treat injured people. We know that another earthquake is inevitable, and when that happens lots of people will unfortunately need emergency medical attention. Any A&E department here has to be earthquake resilient, to remain standing, and be there in the days and weeks that follow any disaster.”
Article 25 put together a team of globally leading seismic design engineers and worked with them to design a building that would be robust and able to stand the test of time. The final design uses a reinforced concrete frame with brick infill walls to comply with stringent seismic safety standards, going above and beyond the requirements set out in Nepali building codes.
Overcoming a pandemic, flooding and landslides on site
This build was far from straightforward, thanks mainly to the Covid-19 pandemic. Many workers couldn’t travel into the site because of closures and restrictions of movement around the country. There were times when the borders with India were closed, affecting suppliers and materials. The team also had to contend with the complicated dynamic of working within a hospital complex during a pandemic. The build plan had to include Covid-19 safeguarding for staff, patients and workers - following best practice, accepting delays, and making sure that everyone was always kept as safe as possible.
Due to the precarious position and challenging terrain of the hospital, the team also had to deal with both flooding and landslides at the building site during a heavy monsoon!
Article 25 has never left a project unfinished. We have a 100% delivery rate that we are extremely proud of. Thanks to the hard work of our team, including a dedicated on-site architect, our trusted engineering partners, and our close working partnership with The Leprosy Mission team, we were able to push the project forward to completion. Toby reflects on overcoming the setbacks:
“It's been a challenging project but knowing that the Trauma Centre is now open and in use despite all these obstacles is a huge achievement. I think The Leprosy Mission, Article 25, and everyone involved in the design and build should be extremely proud of what we’ve managed to do. Personally, I’m delighted to see this facility bring much needed emergency care to the people of Nepal. It’s a wonderful thing.”
Serving the local community and supporting leprosy work
The Trauma Centre is now open to patients. The new building offers a full range of medical services, serving the community through primary healthcare, emergency services, operating theatres and a maternity unit. It also supports the important treatment and research into leprosy carried out by The Leprosy Mission UK. This resilient building is ready to withstand the next earthquake and provide care for many years to come.
As testament to our good relationship with the Anandaban Hospital and The Leprosy Mission UK, we’re designing a new Mycobacterial Research Laboratory for the hospital.
The whole Article 25 team is hugely motivated to continue delivering safe and robust spaces for staff and patients in Lele, Nepal.
