ABSTRACT
Global health challenges are vast and innumerable, warranting prototypical solutions that are scalable, replicable, and cost-effective. The prototype formula works for drugs, practice methods, and technology, and has saved countless lives while mitigating costs. This chapter examines the historical foundation and attraction to the “universal” prototype and questions the wisdom of a one-size-fits-all approach to global health. It explores how contextual and locally informed architecture can promote health, equity, economy, and environment. Reeling from the catastrophic panic around the Ebola outbreak, the spectacular failures of Tappita, and the inefficiency of rigidly standardized prototype clinics, the Liberian Ministry of Health is working to rebuild community trust in its national healthcare system. Prototypes in Liberia make sense for fabricators, but not for Liberians. Buildings based on the climactic and contextual demands of its environs, not on predetermined markets created by vendors, are an anti-technocratic strategy that seeks to produce replicable outcomes, not just replicable widgets.
