Designs that make a difference

by Ava Swearingen

Armed with diagrams and a mission, a group of Harding’s Spring 2025 architecture students were assigned to design a guesthouse for doctors in Ghana. Now, one student’s design will be made a reality by Ghanaian architects.

Back in 2022, Mike Steelman, director of the architecture program, ran into the executive director of African Christian Healthcare. African Christian Healthcare is a medical missions organization with ministries in Nigeria, Ghana and Tanzania. Steelman was asked if the architecture students could help the organization with a project. At the time, the program was new, so Steelman said he didn’t think the students were ready yet. Fortunately, the people at African Christian Healthcare were willing to wait.

By January 2025, the students were prepared, and ten of them embarked on a two-week trip to Yendi, Ghana. The clinic there is currently in the process of expanding into a full hospital. The mission typically brings doctors from around the world for training and treatment. The architecture students’ assignment was to design a new guesthouse for these visiting doctors and the onsite staff.

While in Yendi, students spent time measuring the space, taking pictures of the site and immersing themselves in the local culture to get a better idea of how to best design a guesthouse based on the mission’s needs. They also met with local chiefs. In Ghana, all land belongs to the tribe, and anyone wishing to build something new must get permission from the chiefs. Thankfully, this process wasn’t difficult because the chiefs knew the project would benefit their people. With permission secured and creativity ignited, the group returned to Searcy. They debriefed with the other students in the program, and the design drafting began.

Students took the responsibility of this project very seriously, making sure their designs aligned with the local architecture and would best serve African Christian Healthcare’s mission in Yendi. For many students, this project was their first chance to experience the process of designing for a client. They moved beyond the hypothetical and were suddenly presenting to real clients with real needs.

For Bekah Kohut, the presentation paid off, and her design was chosen. Inspired by a large tree she had noticed in the center of the village, she wanted her design to compliment the tree while also remaining a functional space. Kohut knew there were separate groups that would stay in the guesthouse at various times, so she focused on dividing the space while maintaining one cohesive design. That way, guests could still have privacy within a shared living space. She also added a larger kitchen at the request of the ministry’s cook. 

When asked what it felt like to have her design chosen, Kohut said: “It didn’t feel real at first. Sophomore year, I walked into [Steelman’s] office one day and said, ‘If I continue architecture, I want to do missions with it.’ And he said, ‘You might be in the best place in the U.S. to do that.’ So, being able to be part of the trip and seeing this dream come full circle is pretty cool.”

The work isn’t over yet, though. Kohut is now in the process of turning her presentation into construction drawings, which will be sent to local Ghanaian architects. Once complete, this guesthouse will serve the Yendi ministry for years to come.

The architecture program plans to make this an annual trip. Next year, Steelman will continue collaboration with African Christian Healthcare in another area. This time, they will be designing a house near a pediatric cancer center where families can stay while their children are undergoing treatment. 

This ongoing collaboration not only provides practical solutions for African Christian Healthcare but also allows architecture students to create designs that turn into real world change.