Mock-Up Event Simulates Biocontainment Space, Decontamination Procedures

Array Architects and HITT recently held a simulation in a biocontainment space for medical professionals, designers and industry peers. Attendees learned about decontamination procedures, warm and cold zones for safely removing protective equipment and processing of biohazardous waste. The mock-up event was held at Co|Lab, HITT’s collaborative space, located in Falls Church, Virginia and dedicated to the research and testing of emerging materials, approaches and technology.

The simulation mock-up serves as a proof of concept for a 6,500-square-foot project in development at a regional medical facility that is a hub for advanced critical care and is qualified to serve as an Ebola treatment center. The full-scale model replicates an existing hospital room that can be converted quickly from a conventional treatment space to a biocontainment unit.

“As biological threats increase around the world and bacteria and viruses develop resistance to drugs and vaccines, biocontainment and airborne infection units are critical to our ability to effectively respond to these epidemics,” said Isabelle Arnold, project architect at Array Architects. “When paired with a flexible design, these units allow health systems to prepare for the worst by expanding their operations for the better.”

Designed by Array Architects in close coordination with a confidential hospital client’s infectious disease and emergency preparedness specialists, the unit can be configured in three modes:

1. Serving as an observation unit for up to 15 patients, with seven semi-private rooms and one private observation room
2. Converting into a seven-patient airborne infection isolation critical care unit
3. Converting into a two-patient, fully capable Ebola treatment center biocontainment critical care unit, complete with lab and support spaces for decontamination

The HITT Healthcare team is developing another mock-up at Co|Lab that will focus on behavioral health and anti-ligature construction materials and methods.