17.5.2012
Archive’s Design Competition to combat Malaria
El objetivo del concurso “Construire la prévention du Paludisme” es equipar 24 viviendas en la comunidad de Minkoaméyos en Yaoundé, Camerún. El diseño de las unidades de vivienda debe combinar el sentido común con ideas innovadoras para reducir al mínimo la transmisión de la malaria. Pueden participar profesionales internacionales y locales. Arquitectos, médicos, ingenieros ambientales, planificadores urbanos, entomólogos, diseñadores de productos industriales, especialistas en salud pública, y otros individuos interesados son especialmente alentados a presentar sus ideas a la competencia.
The goal of Construire la prévention du Paludisme is to retrofit 24 housing units in the community of Minkoaméyos in Yaoundé, Cameroon. The design of the housing units should combine the use of common sense principles and innovative ideas to minimize the transmission of malaria.
Who can participate?
International and local professionals and students are welcome to participate. Architects, medical practitioners, environmental engineers, urban planners, entomologists, product/industrial designers, public health specialists, and other interested individuals are especially encouraged to submit their ideas to the competition.
ARCHIVE strongly encourages multidisciplinary, cross-cultural, and international collaboration. The judging panel will look favorably upon such partnerships. One of the most important features of the competition is the capacity of entrants to demonstrate collaborative efforts with individuals from other disciplines. This is an important part of the project and we strongly encourage you to utilize it. To find a team individuals can submit a profile with details of their location and expertise. You can search a database to link up with potential partners who have a different expertise and/or geographical base.
Visit «Create a team»
How can housing/environmental design reduce the transmission of malaria?
Malaria affects millions of people around the world each year and is one of the top causes of mortality in Cameroon, particularly affecting children and pregnant women. The Anopheles female mosquito transmits this vector borne disease when it bites human flesh.
Currently, the most effective methods of preventing transmission are through the use of insecticide-treated nets (ITNs), indoor-spraying, and anti-malarial medication. ITNs play a crucial role as a protective barrier from mosquitoes at night, however they have limitations. Although they may protect people sleeping under the nets, the rest of the house can remain an active breeding ground for infectious mosquitoes.
Thus, housing materials and open space between these materials greatly influences the potential number of malaria cases. Locally available materials and building methods such as iron and tiled roofs, concrete block and plastered brick walls, closed eaves, screened doors and netted ceilings can greatly reduce the number of mosquitoes indoors as well as create a more sanitary living environment.
Construire la prévention du Paludisme presents an opportunity to utilize these existing housing materials and building methods as well as new, innovative architectural or product design solutions to strengthen protection against malaria. ARCHIVE believes that better housing is the key to significantly improving health conditions and lowering disease transmission.
For more information on housing and malaria, please see Resources.
The final deadline is June 20th, 2012. One team member must be nominated as the team leader who will be the point of contact for future communication with ARCHIVE. The team leader will receive a Submission ID, which will act as a password to use in the project submission and to access secure parts of the site. This number should also be used as an ID on presentation material to ensure anonymity.
Register
More Information > http://www.archiveglobal.org/cameroon