Damaged model reunites MUBAS architects and KUHeS dentists

One of the objectives of The MalDent Project was to design a purpose-built clinical dental training facility and student teaching hub to be constructed on the Blantyre campus of Kamuzu University of Health Sciences.

I was very lucky in 2019 to have a chance encounter in Glasgow with Professor Chris Platt, who was then the Mackintosh Professor of Architecture at Glasgow School of Art. My initial conversation with Chris was one of those moments when you feel scales dropping off your eyes, as he succinctly laid out the steps we needed to take on this design journey. The first step would be to hold a design workshop on site with all the potential users of the facility. Chris enthusiastically agreed to lead such a workshop in Blantyre with the key players, and you can read all about that very successful event here.

In his characteristically collaborative fashion, Chris made contact with the Department of Architecture at the then University of Malawi Polytechnic (now Malawi University of Business and Applied Sciences – MUBAS). The Head of Department at the time was Ike Phiri, and together with some of his staff, Ike joined us and participated fully in the workshop.

Jumping forward to 2025, the new building has been designed, and is now under construction. As part of the ongoing project, John McAslan + Partners (JMP), the architects who led design of the building, have produced a scale model for use in feedback to donors and to support future fund-raising.

The model was delivered to me in Glasgow on 31st July this year by Peter Lee, the architect who leads the Edinburgh JMP studio. The model was a work of art:

The model can be dis-assembled level by level to demonstrate the interior:

The day after delivery of the model I was scheduled to return to Malawi for my next block of six weeks at KUHeS. The model would travel with me. Peter had delivered it in a bespoke, custom-made carrying box which supported the model firmly whilst in transit. Since it was too large to fit in my carry-on luggage, I packed the model, in its carrier, very tightly into my large suitcase. At 10am on 1st August the model and I set off from Glasgow for Blantyre.

This particular journey to Malawi was characterised by bad weather and delays at both Frankfurt and Addis Ababa. The boarding process at Addis for my final flight to Blantyre was chaotic, but finally we touched down at Chileka Airport. After passing through immigration I headed to the baggage carousel and sadly, for myself and a large number of other passengers, our cases had not arrived. I completed the necessary paperwork and was informed that as the following day was a Sunday, with no inbound flights from Addis, the earliest my luggage might arrive would be the Monday afternoon. My good friends Peter Chimimba and Nelson Nyoloka had kindly driven to the airport to collect me and took me straight to a watering hole for a beer and calming chat.

By early afternoon on the Monday I had not received any notification from the airport, so I jumped in the car and drove to Chileka. It was a huge relief when I was informed that my two cases had arrived, and I was soon driving home with the reclaimed luggage. I hastily unpacked, only to find that despite the custom carrying box and careful packing, parts of the model had come apart during the journey – the chaos was continuing, even after arrival!

After a WhatsApp call with Peter Lee at JMP, I took the model to Patrick Calisse at MOD Architects, for his advice. Patrick was able to assess the damage without removing the model from its container and suggested that I should contact the Architecture Department at MUBAS.

I followed up Patrick’s suggestion and identified that the Head of Department was now Dr Grace Tamanda Khumalo, who I duly contacted. Grace kindly invited me to their Department at MUBAS so that she and her team could inspect the damage and deliver a verdict. When I entered the room, I was delighted to see Ike Phiri, who had participated in the original design workshop in 2019.

After a thorough inspection, I was massively relieved to be informed that Grace and her team were confident they could effect the necessary repairs – what a relief!

Everyone likes stories with happy endings and the smiles on the faces of Peter Chimimba and Chisomo Msefula say it all, as a member of Grace’s team hands over the beautifully restored model:

We are exceptionally grateful to Grace and her staff for their skilled and cheerful support. Despite the stress engendered by the damage to the model, there is a very satisfying symmetry to this story, with the involvement of colleagues from the Architecture Department at MUBAS in both the very first design workshop for the new building and now at the end of the design process. It’s yet another example of collaboration that has been the hallmark of The MalDent Project from its inception.

Shortly after delivery of the refurbished model, it would be pressed into service as part of a visit by a VIP – but you will need to wait for the next blog post to hear about that exciting event.