"HEALTH CARE ON THE MOVE"
HOSPITAL TRAIN AND TRANSFORMATION
Watertown, Massachusetts
Fall 2020 (half semester)
Partner Siying Han
Academic, Architecture Option Studio, Harvard GSD
Instructor Spela Videcnik & Rok Oman
The project's intention is to integrate the new urban norm with a system of mobility and explore a new dynamic of healthcare and a sustainable urban environment. Under technological and social forces, the mobility patterns created through existing infrastructure will facilitate the consolidation of healthcare while ensuring efficient health outcomes and patient experiences.
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‘Spaces of isolation’ do not have a single or static definition but instead adapt to a variety of urban situations. While the infrastructural system reduces the distance between places, it also marginalizes fragments of urban spaces. Given its nature as a ‘space of isolation’ in the new norm brought on by COVID-19, the railway system is an ideal ‘campground’ to accommodate individuals with medical needs. However, from another perspective, these fragmented spaces require modifications to promote and encourage communal exchanges. This would help build a sustainable urban model that is transformative in multiple layers of urban engagement, capable of adapting to different periods and stages of development.
Introduction 01
Cases in last 7 days of Covid-19,
CDC updated Sep 9th, 2020
USNS Hospital Ship in NYC, March 30th, 2020
Coronavirus Outbreaks 02
Conventional medical system model
Proposed medical hospital train system model
To achieve this by three steps:
(a). Redesign and remanufacture the traditional abandoned train cabin to ensure the spaces fulfill medical requirements.
(b). Gather medical resources and overloaded patients at the railway station and loaded to the train.
(c). Run to the suburban areas where lack of medical services, stay on the abandoned railway line or create temporary camp to provide temporary medical surgery.
(a).
(b).
(c).
Compared to the conventional medical system model which concentrates the resources in the urban hospital, the proposed medical hospital train distributes the workflow into several steps in different places and shortens the transit distance between the patients and medical services.
Operation Models 03
Four potential sites for temporary medical camps
Abandoned Watertown Branch
Fitchburg Line, Boston MBTA
The project does not have a specific site but is a healthcare model that can be applied to multiple areas. The hospital train can travel to locations where local hospitals are overloaded. It uses existing operational railway lines for transport and abandoned railway lines for stops, providing temporary surgeries to address medical resource shortages. The project uses the Watertown branch in Boston, which was abandoned decades ago, as an example. Ideal sites for train stops and temporary camps are marginalized urban spaces. These areas are typically located far from densely populated zones and can be easily isolated from the general public.
Reuse Abandoned Railway 04
Abandoned Railway Lines (photos from web)
The cabins are designed with three different levels of medical standards to accommodate the varying physical conditions of patients. Modules A and B are equipped with advanced medical equipment, but due to specific spatial requirements, they offer less flexibility for transformation into social housing after COVID. Module C provides isolation rooms with two modes, allowing adaptation to the train's operating or stationary conditions.
Redesign The Cabins 05
Module A
Acute Care Train Cabin
​ICU (Intensive Care Unit) / Emergency Unit​
Laboratory Unit​
Pharmacy Unit​
Medical Assistant Station​
CT Scanner Room / Radiology Suites​
Isolation Ward:​
Anteroom / Airlock Clean Utility ​
Clean / Dirty Storage​
Ensuite (Shower and Toilet)
Higher acuity cares for COVID-19 patients, who require significant ventilatory support, including intensive monitoring on a ventilator. ​
Module B
Inpatient Care Train Cabin
Intensive Care Bed​
Diagnostics ​
Medical Assistant Station​
Airlock​
Medication Storage / Preparation Area ​
Mental Health Consultation​
Food Service​
Ensuite (Shower and Toilet)
Mid-level care for moderately symptomatic COVID-19 patients, who require nursing care and assistance with activities of daily living (ADL).
Module C
Isolation Room Train Cabin
Patient Bed / Isolation Room ​
Housekeeping Unit​
Food Services / Kitchen Unit​
Laundry Facilities ​
Bathrooms
General, low-level care for mildly to moderately symptomatic COVID-19 patients, who do not require extensive nursing care or assistance with activities of daily living (ADL).
Isolated Room Unit
Transit Mode
Expanded Mode
Kitchen and Maintenance Unit
Medical Lab Unit
Deconstruct The Cabins
After the isolation caused by COVID, the modules have the potential to be transformed and combined to revitalize urban spaces marginalized by the railways.
By cutting, unfolding, and recombining the cabins, various programs can be created. Three main programs on this site include a theater for community gatherings, an outdoor reading deck connected to the existing public library, and a skateboard park for local youth. These programs act as anchor points, organizing the entire community structure.
After Coronavirus Transformation 06
Elevated Deck + Skateboard Park
Theater
Outdoor Reading Deck
View to the skateboard park
Existing Parking Lot
COVID-19 Condition - Temporary Camp For Medical Train
Construction Steps - Right click to continue
Final Axon
Section cut through the theater
Master Plan
