Abstract

Clara Rius, from Estudi PSP Arquitectura, described the SEM (Medial Emergency System of Catalonia) Emergency Hospitalisation project. This was based on a series of processes that made it possible to set up a 100-bed hospitalisation unit within 72 hours, for COVID-19 convalescent patients with low criticality and without complications. The project was designed to be assembled and disassembled, so that it has a repetitive life cycle: assembly; operation and maintenance; disassembly; repair; storage; custody; and maintenance.

Alastair Proudfoot, critical care lead for the NHS Nightingale London, outlined the issues surrounding the provision of compassionate, human care in the ‘hard’ environment of a capital city field hospital.

Dr Eve Edelstein, from Clinicians for Design, along with colleagues from Building Blocks for Clinicians and Stanford University, presented the results of a study conducted with front-line COVID-19 healthcare providers and subject matter experts in: emergency medicine; intensive care; anaesthesia; infection control; hospital operations; virology; and research-based design. New design guidance for healthcare facilities was developed by translating input from clinician interviews and current literature that reveal urgent and essential adaptations to healthcare settings to reduce the risk of transmission.

Jason Emery-Groen, from HDR, teamed up with Tim Hickory, from Construction for Change, talked about their experience in creating the COVID-19 Resource Guide, as well as the stories of its use worldwide through their partners and other agencies. The focus of the guide offers clarity relative to the fundamental layout of space, as well as patient and staff flows, to provide optimal care and safety in the reduction of the spread of COVID-19.