German architectural engineer Gregory Quinn has developed SheltAir, domed bio-containment pods erected using inflatable cushions that could help coronavirus patients isolate.
SheltAir consists of a gridshell of plastic rods, which is assembled flat before being pushed up into its final, domed shape through a pneumatic formwork of inflatables.
This blow-up cushion is made of PVC-coated polyester. It stays in place once inflated, doubling as the building's architectural envelope.
The envelope is heat-welded to an outer skin to create a completely sealed environment, which is crucial when it comes to isolating with a virus like Covid-19.
Previous prototypes of the pods did not include the outer skin necessary for creating a seal
"One of the problems that hospitals are facing is that staff and visitors are at risk of infections," Quinn told Dezeen. "So smaller units of containment make a lot of sense. To create negative pressure and filter out any particles or droplet you need a sealed environment," he added.
"Some people have been proposing converting shipping containers into ICUs but sealing them is a real challenge, whereas the SheltAir comes pre-sealed."
The design has been passed on to the World Bank to assess a potential roll-out in the fight against the coronavirus. Quinn is currently in talks with medical evacuation, or medivac, companies about getting the design into the field.

A key benefit SheltAir's gridshell structure, which was popul...