There are pop-up stores, kit kitchens and all sorts of easy-to-assemble equipment. Now, there’s a COVID-19 hospital-in-a-box.
A consortium of designers and manufacturers have worked together to develop rapid-response hospitals and testing stations for use all over the world.
Using a shipping container to double as packaging and structure, all the materials needed for a fully functioning intensive care ward or drive-through testing station are inside.
University of Technology Sydney architect, Professor Deborah Ascher Barnstone says the purpose-built units can be shipped and erected quickly, easily and cheaply.
“By using recycled shipping containers as the core structure, the price of the buildings will be less than a third of the cost of conventional designs,” she said.
In Australia, where large-scale testing is expected to be the foundation of a path out of coronavirus restrictions, the units can replace current tent-like structures that lack running water, electricity and sanitation facilities.
With hospital capacity still a concern for many countries, the development team also plans to make the units available worldwide.
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