分娩并发症导致的孕产妇死亡仍然是一个重大的全球问题。2010年，在马拉维，大约每36名妇女中就有一名妇女终生有可能在怀孕或分娩期间死亡，主要是由于可预防的原因。孕产妇之家已被用来增加获得位于保健中心附近的熟练专业人员的机会。这些设施为孕妇提供了一个从第36周开始到分娩前的监控空间。马拉维总统于2012年发起了一项努力，在全国范围内建立了130个这样的设施。

Maternal mortality due to complications during childbirth remains a major global problem. In 2010 in Malawi, about one in thirty-six women had a lifetime risk of dying during pregnancy or delivery, largely from preventable causes. Maternal waiting homes have been used to increase access to skilled professionals located adjacent to health centers. These facilities provide a monitored space for expectant mothers starting from their thirty-sixth week until their delivery. The president of Malawi initiated an effort in 2012 to build 130 such facilities across the country.

北卡罗来纳大学马拉维项目一直在支持马拉维Kasungu的一家医院。作为与该部合作的一部分，该计划致力于建设两个新的家园，并邀请MASS在该国合作。现有的原型是一个单间的、类似兵营的结构，不能提供足够的日光、通风或卫生条件。此外，它无法容纳与母亲一起旅行的病人护理人员，而且缺乏计划，无法提供产前和日常生活护理。因此，许多妇女离开并返回自己的家，而不是在该设施完成怀孕。

The University of North Carolina Project-Malawi had been supporting a hospital in Kasungu, Malawi. As part of their partnership with the ministry, the initiative committed to building two new homes and invited MASS to partner in the country. The existing prototype was a single-room, barrack-like structure that did not provide adequate daylight, ventilation, or sanitation. Additionally, it could not accommodate patient attendants who traveled with the mothers, and its lack of programming failed to provide prenatal and daily living care. As a result, many women were leaving and going back to their own homes, rather than completing their pregnancy at the facility.

MASS与Kasungu设施的医生、护士和孕妇合作，提出了一个新的原型：产妇等待村。新的设计打破了现有原型的单一街区概念，将其打造成一系列围绕小庭院的小院落。这个规划借鉴了马拉维村庄的乡土布局设计，在马拉维，家庭院落由几栋小楼组成，居住着一个直系家庭的分支。较小规模的住宅区创造了社区，鼓励有经验的母亲和初为人母的母亲之间分享知识。

MASS worked with doctors, nurses, and expectant mothers at the Kasungu facility to propose a new prototype: the Maternity Waiting Village. The new design broke the singular block concept of the existing prototype into a series of smaller compounds clustered around small courtyards. This plan borrowed design cues from the vernacular layout of Malawian villages, where family compounds are composed of several small buildings housing branches of an immediate family. The smaller-sized housing blocks create communities that encourage knowledge sharing between experienced and first-time mothers.

为了适应雨季和旱季的户外活动，大的屋檐为村庄的庭院提供了阴凉和遮挡，母亲们可以在那里聚会和社交。这些空间的设计也是为了容纳与孕妇一起旅行的家庭成员和服务人员。专门的教育区域支持围绕产前和产后护理的讲习班和手工艺培训，以帮助母亲在离家时赚取收入，弥补工资损失，这是广泛使用待产设施的一个重大障碍。共享空间已成为活动和学习的中心。

To accommodate outdoor activity during both rainy and dry seasons, large roof overhangs provide shade and shelter to the village’s courtyards, where mothers can gather and socialize. These spaces were also designed to accommodate family members and attendants who travel with expectant mothers. Dedicated education areas support workshops around pre- and postnatal care and handicraft trainings to help mothers earn income while away from home, making up for the wage loss that is a significant impediment to widespread use of maternity waiting facilities. The shared spaces have become centers of activity and learning.

优化了日光和自然通风，每个睡眠单元的设计降低了传染病传播的风险，并提供了隐私和舒适度。压缩稳定的土块墙在白天吸收太阳光，在寒冷的夜晚散发热量。新的原型设计围绕着用当地材料建造的可复制模块，更容易扩展和适应其他地点。入住后的研究表明，这个新的村庄原型让孕妇感到更加舒适和安全。

Optimized for daylighting and natural ventilation, each sleeping unit is designed to reduce the risk of infectious diseases spreading and provides privacy and comfort. Compressed stabilized earth block walls absorb solar rays during the day and radiate heat during the colder nights. Designed around replicable modules built of locally sourced materials, the new prototype is more readily scalable and adaptable to other sites. Post-occupancy studies have shown that this new village prototype has been more comfortable and felt safer for expectant mothers.

建筑师：MASS Design Group面积：670 m²
年份：2015年
摄影作品：Iwan Baan
制造商：Built Environs Ltd, Nutec Boards Everite Building Products, Plastered CSEB, Plasterwork Skirting, RAIPLY Malawi Ltd, Safintra Roofings and Steel – Malawi
负责建筑师：MASS Design Group
客户：Malawi Ministry of Health, The Presidential Initiative for Safe Motherhood, University of North Carolina – Malawi
负责伙伴：Arup, Mazzetti, Builts Environs Ltd., The Malawi Ministry of Health, The Presidential Initiative for Safe Motherhood, The Gates Foundation, The Autodesk Foundation
Mep工程师：Aron Chikuse和Mazetti。
城市：Kasungu
国家：马拉维
Architects: MASS Design Group
Area: 670 m²
Year: 2015
Photographs: Iwan Baan
Manufacturers: Built Environs Ltd, Nutec Boards Everite Building Products, Plastered CSEB, Plasterwork Skirting, RAIPLY Malawi Ltd, Safintra Roofings and Steel – Malawi
Architect In Charge:MASS Design Group
Clients:Malawi Ministry of Health, The Presidential Initiative for Safe Motherhood, University of North Carolina – Malawi
Partners In Charge:Arup, Mazzetti, Builts Environs Ltd., The Malawi Ministry of Health, The Presidential Initiative for Safe Motherhood, The Gates Foundation, The Autodesk Foundation
Mep Engineers:Aron Chikuse and Mazetti
City:Kasungu
Country:Malawi