COVID-19 – Ideation & Response – A proposal by Team Thumbimpressions

Note

This is visualized as an open source document. Anyone can use, modify and add to this based on their need. The ‘Team Thumbimpressions’ does not claim any rights over it. A collective response through cooperation, collaboration and coordination is a way forward.

Proposal for Temporary Hospital

Introduction

The Thumbimpressions Team has prepared an immediate proposal for a temporary hospital based on its competencies that it can offer in this moment of crisis. The team would be keen to help the government and any other organization working or keen to work in this area. There are three proposals which form the basis of our suggestions and each of them are valid depending on the resource and direction our government suggests to move in during this crisis.They areas follows:

1. Adaptation of existing buildings to hospitals
2. Adaptation of already existing exhibition large span structures to hospitals
3. Design of temporary hospitals

We are willing to support in all three situations.

Design of temporary hospital

Scenario

The temporary hospital is imagined to be a stage where the capacity of the existing health care infrastructure is exhausted and the number of patients is far beyond the number of hospital beds. In such a grave situation; the assumption has been made that the existing hospital and their doctors will still remain the nodal point from where the rest of the patients will be treated. The existing hospital will therefore need extension.This will ensure that the patients are still able to use the existing facility of the hospital. Also for doctors; it would be better to take care of the patients in their proximity.

The temporary hospital needs to be erected in open space around the existing hospital including the parking facility (open space). Some minor existing roads connecting the hospital may be converted into an extended hospital using a temporary structure. The other option could be to readapt some buildings around the hospital and convert them into temporary hospitals.

Key Words: Ease of assembly and disassembly, Contextual use of materials, Easy to clean and maintain, COVID-19, temporary structures, emergency response.

Concept

The temporary hospital rests on three ideas, namely; contextual use of skills, ease of assembly and easy to replace, clean and maintain

Contextual use of skills

The proposal uses existing pools of skills related to fabrication, masonry and carpentry in order to assemble the building. This is meant to ease dependence on any specialized skills or labour to build which ensures replicable and further modification based on availability of such skills.

Ease of Assembly

The system adapted to the building uses scaffoldings (eg. Cup-lock systems, pipe & swivel clamp systems) which are used by shuttering contractors in the market. In case it is not available in large quantities, the design shall easily adapt to bamboo by merely replacing one material with another and simple modification of details.

The joinery techniques for both the structural materials are simple and shall require rudimentary skills to erect it. Later, the structure can be dismantled and reused.

Easy to replace clean and maintain

The enclosing materials are selected to replace whenever required based on the direction of the medical team. There are three options proposed: The partition between each bed has a provision of putting medical curtains. All the wiring and services are worked out in exposed conditions. The floors can be temporarily made out of vinyl sheet or equivalent material laid over paver blocks gives a continuous joint free cleanable surface.

Layout

The overall layout of the building is flexible and can adapt to various site situation. The building unit is made out of a medical volume with two layers of corridor, a medical room for doctors and other staff and a semi open space cum waiting area. These three units can be organized in various combinations for the desired building.

Implementation strategy

The overall implementation procedure and strategy would be governed by the level of cooperation and collaboration by various agencies in the process. It is assumed that the state/centre level ministry would provide all necessary permissions and order directives to mentioned agencies and also aid in ease of functioning along with medical professionals, police personnel, municipal corporators, and various transport agencies.

Areas in which possible expertise can be applied