The American Institute of Architects has launched a task force to consult on how to adapt buildings into healthcare facilities during the coronavirus pandemic.
Announced yesterday, the initiative by American Institute of Architects (AIA) was created in response to Covid-19 in the US, which now leads the world in confirmed cases.
The task force is intended to provide information on how to convert existing buildings into temporary healthcare facilities to treat those suffering from the virus.
"On a daily basis, I am hearing from our architects who feel a deep sense of moral duty to support our healthcare providers on the frontlines of this pandemic," said AIA president Jane Frederick.
"As our communities assess buildings to address growing surge capacity, we hope this task force will be a resource to ensure buildings are appropriately and safely adapted for our doctors and nurses." "This is a race against time for healthcare facilities"
Kirsten Waltz, the director of facilities, planning and design at Massachusetts healthcare nonprofit Baystate Health, is working with the task force to advise how to modify hospitals and smaller facilities to meet the surging demand of beds, as well as design more medical screening and triage areas.
"This is a race against time for healthcare facilities to meet bed surge capacity needs," Waltz said.
"This task force will help inform best practices for quickly assessing building inventory and identif...