The design below I have highlighted as a beginning project design for the website in context of the ongoing Covid 19 disasters unfolding globally - thus it carries a large amount of immediate value. The Politicians across the world have gone round in circles, changed regulations, put in place lockdowns, short long etc etc, and beyond their utter confusion and destruction of global economies there are more on the ground practical concerns which haven't really changed. I cant think of one hospital across the globe right now which is functioning whereby visitors, ranging from immediate partners, sons, daughters, fathers, grandparents, relatives, or friends can visit patients on a continuous basis with Covid 19.  In fact so restrictive are most hospitals, and with the shared lifts, corridors, lobbies, in fact most hospitals are locking down sections completely with absolutely no visitors, and even in countries like Australia and USA with phenomenal hospitals, visiting someone has become a skype / zoom meeting, where by patients are given tablets and have to chat to relatives like that. Certainly no physical visits are occurring.  We have witnessed across the globe case after case whereby children / parents / partners / sons / daughters etc etc are dying alone and relatives cant get near them.  This really is nothing short of a horror show unfolding. Infection control might be all sophisticated in sections of the hospital and we see numerous cases of special negative pressure rooms etc, but again, I am yet to see any hospital anywhere in the world which is designed for allowing a continuous stream of visitors to visit people with covid 19, especially with these large numbers we are seeing.

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What i have designed, illustrated below, I think at least, is the first design anywhere in the world, which would allow for contamination free visitation to a ward block.  I have achieved this by completely ''separating'' the building into two zones - one which patients, doctors , staff can access and one which visitors can access via thin passages which take you right up to the bedside - there, the patient and visitors have visual access through a large glass window / panel - so every patient can receive visitors, and all visitors can do so in a contamination free environment - and the staff don't have to worry about visitors getting in the way or wandering off - as they are all physically separated. I have done a larger multi storey ward design which would be more suited to wealthier countries and then a smaller single storey version for more remote rural settings. I have indicated contamination control on simple floor plan layouts after the video - which will be pretty clear on its own. 

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ON the covid 19 page, i have also done a series of accident and emergency centres which are split to receive varying classifications of patients, separating children, old people, known covid patients and general admissions for accidents - unknown covid 19 status - to at least try streamline some degree of separation. 

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The emphasis then is on Architects, developer and planners alike to try incorporate these concepts in whatever form they see fit - provided the aspects of contamination separation is adhered to. While in lockdown myself, stuck in a foreign country, I hope these design ideas will add value to the bigger picture over time and start getting people to seriously rethink infection control aspects of hospitals- unfortunately as things stand too many big fancy hospitals have pretty much become no go zones for the public and visitation to a loved one is a basic human right - this is not happening!!

There is a whole page devoted to Covid 19 designs and responses, ranging from emergency temporary structures through to more permanent buildings. The design below I have highlighted as a beginning project design for the website in context of the ongoing Covid 19 disasters unfolding globally - thus it carries a large amount of immediate value. The Politicians across the world have gone round in circles, changed regulations, put in place lockdowns, short long etc etc, and beyond their utter confusion and destruction of global economies there are more on the ground practical concerns which haven't really changed. I cant think of one hospital across the globe right now which is functioning whereby visitors, ranging from immediate partners, sons, daughters, fathers, grandparents, relatives, or friends can visit patients on a continuous basis with Covid 19.  In fact so restrictive are most hospitals, and with the shared lifts, corridors, lobbies, in fact most hospitals are locking down sections completely with absolutely no visitors, and even in countries like Australia and USA with phenomenal hospitals, visiting someone has become a skype / zoom meeting, where by patients are given tablets and have to chat to relatives like that. Certainly no physical visits are occurring.  We have witnessed across the globe case after case whereby children / parents / partners / sons / daughters etc etc are dying alone and relatives cant get near them.  This really is nothing short of a horror show unfolding. Infection control might be all sophisticated in sections of the hospital and we see numerous cases of special negative pressure rooms etc, but again, I am yet to see any hospital anywhere in the world which is designed for allowing a continuous stream of visitors to visit people with covid 19, especially with these large numbers we are seeing.

​

What i have designed, illustrated below, I think at least, is the first design anywhere in the world, which would allow for contamination free visitation to a ward block.  I have achieved this by completely ''separating'' the building into two zones - one which patients, doctors , staff can access and one which visitors can access via thin passages which take you right up to the bedside - there, the patient and visitors have visual access through a large glass window / panel - so every patient can receive visitors, and all visitors can do so in a contamination free environment - and the staff don't have to worry about visitors getting in the way or wandering off - as they are all physically separated. I have done a larger multi storey ward design which would be more suited to wealthier countries and then a smaller single storey version for more remote rural settings. I have indicated contamination control on simple floor plan layouts after the video - which will be pretty clear on its own. 

​

On the covid 19 page, i have also done a series of accident and emergency centres which are split to receive varying classifications of patients, separating children, old people, known covid patients and general admissions for accidents - unknown covid 19 status - to at least try streamline some degree of separation. 

​

The emphasis then is on Architects, developer and planners alike to try incorporate these concepts in whatever form they see fit - provided the aspects of contamination separation is adhered to.  I hope these design ideas will add value to the bigger picture over time and start getting people to seriously rethink infection control aspects of hospitals- unfortunately as things stand too many big fancy hospitals have pretty much become no go zones for the public and visitation to a loved one is a basic human right - this is not happening!!