From its creation in 1995, FBW Group has been involved in delivering life-changing medical developments across East Africa.
They include a number of clinics and hospitals which today continue to serve remote rural areas and their communities.
In its early days in Tanzania, the practice worked for a number of European donors and faith-led organisations, looking to create much-needed medical and educational developments.
They included the $4.5m development of a new hospital in Morogora. FBW was responsible for the masterplanning, design, structural engineering and project management of the 250-bed general hospital complex.
FBW also worked on the Tabora Centre for Audiology and Speech in Tanzania. During this period of time, it also began its work on Virika Hospital in Fort Portal, Uganda.
Virika Hospital Out Building
In February 1994, Virika suffered major earthquake damage affecting 95 per cent of the buildings. Repairs to the hospital took five years to complete.
FBW led the project to reconstruct the 250-bed general hospital, using all its expertise in architecture as well as structural and mechanical and electrical engineering.
Its remit included the preparation of new masterplan and building designs and the phased development of a series of earthquake resistant structures using locally available materials.
Today a cornerstone of FBW’s work is the development and reconstruction of urban and rural hospitals, providing practical solutions, responding to the local conditions and at the same time creating healthy environments for patients.
Many of its present clients are international health and research organisations, bringing first-world specialist facilities to East Africa.
FBW is currently working on a high-profile £9.5m project to deliver Malawi’s first specialist postgraduate medical training centre.
The new Clinical Research and Training Open Resource (Creator) in Malawi will provide the most sophisticated research environment in the country.
It has helped to deliver a ground-breaking women’s health project in Kigutu in Burundi.
And in October 2020, its architects and engineers completed the first phase of a $1m state-of-the-art research clinic in Entebbe.
The clinic is a joint project involving the UK’s Medical Research Council (MRC), The Wellcome Trust, the Uganda Virus Research Institute (UVRI) and The London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine (LSHTM).
The new facilities will host a range of leading, high-standard medical research, including vaccine trials.
Stuart Harley, the group’s chief operating officer, added: “FBW has built strong links with the healthcare sector in the region since it’s early days.
“We’re very proud of the portfolio of clinics, hospitals and research facilities that we have developed and which have benefitted people across East Africa in so many ways.
“We’ve worked with a number of European-based organisations to bring much-needed facilities to remote rural areas. Today we are helping international and African medical and research groups deliver new levels of excellence.
Kampala
“Over the past 25 years we’ve seen the advancement of medicine and medical facilities in East Africa and the investment that has gone into ensuring those advances continue to be made.”
Milestones for FBW during this time include the opening of its Ugandan office in Kampala in 1998.
Architect Paul Moores joined the business in Kampala in 1998 and today carries out a group managing director role. Stuart Harley also joined around this time and is now group director of operations.
In 1999 current director of engineering Rob Woffenden arrived along with architect Anthe Eckoldt who is currently FBW Group country manager in Kenya.