| dc.description.abstract | The coronavirus, or COVID-19, is a highly contagious respiratory virus caused by SARS-CoV-2 that has plagued our world for over a year now. The virus brought to light the many ways we were unprepared for the initial outbreak as well as all of the devastating deaths, job losses, shutdowns, and food shortages that followed. In a world where natural disasters, global pandemics, and unforeseen dangers are increasingly becoming more apparent, the role of architects has come into prominence. Oftentimes, as uncalculated disasters occur, they tend to have a series of destructive capabilities: communities are displaced, mass casualty incidents arise, and buildings are demolished. In the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, hospitals experienced an influx of patients and a lack of adequate space to effectively provide shelter and medical treatment for critically ill individuals. With healthcare facilities exceeding their servicing capabilities, and large volumes of people around the globe progressively becoming exposed and infected with the coronavirus, there has been an increasing demand for rapidly built alternate care sites to care for those in need. Thus, with the implications of COVID-19, architecture, as both a discipline and profession, has been brought to the forefront of global attention as a potential solution for “surge capacity.” The goal of this study was to research the most effective ways of creating and transforming architecture to be adapted as an alternate care facility for a surge, or rapid influx, of patients in need of medical attention and currently lacking a place to receive it. Through real world scenarios and prospective architecture, this study, a survey of existing and successful alternate care sites, aims to propose future solutions for alternate care sites through research and design based studio projects. Alternate care sites, or “surge facilities”, are made from pre-existing or newly built spaces that allow for necessary hospital operations when hospitals are unable to provide care for the overflow of incoming patients. Surge facilities can be converted or built in a rapid period of time in order to meet the medical needs of the community in the event of a pandemic or natural disaster. Designing for a future that responds to unpredictable and unforeseen challenges is crucial. In the event of surge capacity within a hospital, it is important to be able to quickly flex other existing buildings into an alternate care site. Particularly, this transition and turnover can be made easier if the original design of the structure already has this flex predetermined. Ultimately as architects progress in their future designs, it is important for outcome based care to translate to outcome based design, and alternate care sites need to think about how technology, wayfinding, and workflow efficiency can streamline processes, making facility spaces more dynamic. As architects and designers, we are accountable to establish sustainable and resilient infrastructures that demonstrate how the built environment can positively impact health in a justifiable and measurable way. | en |
