"This is not a hospital" says architect behind conversion of McCormick Place

Convention centres that have been rapidly turned into facilities for coronavirus patients should not be called hospitals, says Doug King, the healthcare principal of Stantec, which has overseen the transformation of Chicago's McCormick Place.

Stantec worked with contractor Walsh Construction to turn three halls in the centre into an alternative care facility with 3000 beds. The team, which was assembled on 26 March, was tasked to complete it within three weeks.

"We were under construction within 12 hours of contract"

"From the day we got the contract to completion of all 3000 beds is 25 days," King told Dezeen. "We were under construction within 12 hours of contract."

"We were starting to build support spaces within 12 hours," he added. "The first 500 beds were delivered in less than a week."

Stantec's project marks the latest convention centre that has been turned into facilities for coronavirus patients – including the ExCel in London and the Javits Center in New York – as hospitals reach capacity due to the pandemic.

"That's one of the mantras – not a hospital"

But King said it shouldn't be considered as a replacement for its hospital counterpart.

"This is not a hospital," King said. "That's one of the mantras – not a hospital. It's an alternative care facility."

King's view is echoed by Jason Schroer, the director of health at architecture firm HKS's Dallas outpost. He similarly argued that "a non-healthcare building converted to a patient care space is not quite a hospital" in an Opinion piece for Dezeen.

The McCormick Place facility comprises 2250 for patients that aren't diagnosed with Covid-19 and a separate area with 750 beds for those that have the disease.

King said that the main intervention was to introduce a mechanical system that created negative pressure in the areas with Covid-19 patients. Negative pressure forces air that could be carrying the virus out of spaces and helps to prevent cross-contamination.

Ductwork and fans direct contaminated air out of the centre

To achieve this, the team inserted scaffolding to create a lower ceiling in the centre – which typically reaches heights of 30 to 40 feet (nine to 12 metres) – to hold ductwork at 10 feet (three metres) high.

HEPA (high-efficiency particulate air) filters are then used to collect and suck pollutants "like a vacuum cleaner" into the ductwork.

"We directed the air into that ductwork and basically sucked it out of the building with a series of fans," King said. "So that was the largest intervention that we did."

"That flushed air goes through the HEPA filter so all of the virus is captured in the HEPA filter, which gets changed out regularly," he added. "Then it goes up into the ductwork that gets pulled to the outside of the building."

Nurse stations customised

King said while it wasn't straightforward to transform the centre there were a number of advantages. For example, there are regular hubs across the floor that provide electricity, water and often WiFi that could be used for nurse's stations.

The team had to be creative with the design of each station so they connect to hubs and are also located to enable medical workers views of the patients.

"That became a bit of a design exercise that required collaboration with the contractors and for us to quickly customise every single nurse station location," he said.

"Every single nurse station location had to be customised to its services, or origin of its services. So when you look at the layout, you'll see the nurse stations, but many times they have, they're shaped like Zs or shaped like circles with one leg on them or something."

Future hospitals will have dedicated pandemic areas

King added that the current crisis, which has put extreme pressure on hospitals and medical workers, will impact the ways that hospitals are arranged and designed in the future.

He said that they will start to include specific areas dedicated to "pandemic-stricken individuals" and those that need other types of care.

"Hospitals are going to start to acknowledge the need to be able to separate their facilities into what we'll call pandemic-stricken individuals, virus-stricken individuals versus those that are basically just regularly in the hospital," he said.

"In the future, you're going to see hospitals thinking like that."

Photograph courtesy of Walsh Construction.

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Development in China is about decongesting and depopulating cities, says Beatrice Leanza

The fifth and final part of VDF's collaboration with reSITE sees London architecture studio WallaceLiu discuss working in China and the West with MAAT executive director Beatrice Leanza in a talk moderated by Yoko Choy, editor of Wallpaper* China.

In this "East Meets West" talk from reSITE's REGENERATE conference, WallaceLiu's founders Jee Liu and Jamie Wallace join Yoko Choy and Beatrice Leanza to discuss how to build for the next generation, and how values are changing in the process of regeneration.

WallaceLiu was founded in 2014 and has designed a number of buildings in China, most recently the new Chongqing Industrial Museum, set among the structures of an old steel factory.

Yoko Choy and Beatrice Leanza in conversation at reSITE

Before joining MAAT, Leanza was based in Beijing. She was the founder of The Global School, the first independent design institute to open in China, and served as creative director of Beijing Design Week from 2012 to 2016.

"China is a country that, when you work there, almost feels like the wild west in California, the gold-digging era, to start with," said Liu.

"But it also rewards passion because there is a lack of passion. Apart from generating wealth, if you can demonstrate that you have passion, people might be able to recognise you. Of course, there's a layer of luck in that."

Liu argues that young designers need to be more provocative, saying that every country has emerging architects that will put their heart and soul into their projects.

"They're desperate to prove themselves, to make a statement. That's the energy every city needs for its important buildings, not just pavilions and house extensions, which is what's happening in Britain," Liu said.

China is moving toward decongesting and depopulating cities

Wallace argues that the studio has benefited from being both Chinese and British when it comes to working in China.

"We could use the identity in a fluid way to challenge people in ways that they are not used to being challenged. Sometimes we could operate in a very Chinese way, sometimes in a very British way," he said.

Liu, Choy, Leanza and Wallace at the East Meets West reSITE talk

Liu also points out the necessity of having local knowledge.

"I think there is a risk of coming in also to say: "China can be like this, this is how you should work in China," she said, adding that this can be dangerous.

"Anywhere you work you need to know the culture, you need to blend yourself in by genuine curiosity," she said.

Going back to the reSITE's conference theme of regeneration, Choy asks what has changed in China in recent years as the country has increasingly moved away from demolition and towards preservation.

"It's just not economic to keep on building, even for the Chinese state," Leanza said.

"Everything that is happening now is exactly the opposite — it is about decongesting, depopulating cities. It’s happening, of course, in Beijing, it’s happening everywhere else."

She argues that this has to do with the realisation that we cannot keep urbanising at the expense of the environment, saying China is at the forefront of working on these issues.

"There's a value change in development"

Heritage also plays a key role in preserving rather than demolishing buildings, according to Liu. "There's a growing nostalgia with people who were born in China in the generation that was born perhaps in the 60s and 70s," she said. "They have that particular relationship with the cultural revolution."

This generation feels sorry about what happened in the past and is now supportive of change, Liu explained. "I think they will be supporting the next generation of architectural practice in conservation and renovation as well."

"I also think there's a value change in development," Wallace added. "The vast majority, if not all, of China’s cities are procured speculatively and there’s money in heritage now."

The panel discussed how to build for the next generation and how values are changing in China

In terms of regeneration and who drives the development of the future, Leanza said that while there are plenty of good intentions, the question is how to take them further.

"How do we take that to another level, how it enters the systemic level – I don't think we are there yet. I guess it takes rehearsing," she said.

What ties the east and west together is the obstacles facing architects, according to Liu.

"I don't think there’s a universal understanding of the East or a universal understanding of the West," she said. "I think what’s in common is [that] it’s very hard to build good architecture anywhere, that's my experience in London and in China."

"Give more responsibility to the next generation and let them somehow grab hold of their own fate," Liu concluded.

About reSITE

reSITE is a non-profit organisation with a focus on rethinking cities, architecture and urban development. Its aim is to connect leaders and support the synergies across real estate, architecture, urbanism, politics, culture and economics.

reSITE's flagship event is held in Prague, but it has also held events in Lisbon and Berlin. reSITE was founded in 2011 by Martin Barry, a landscape architect originally from New York.

About Virtual Design Festival

Virtual Design Festival, the world's first digital design festival, runs from 15 April to 30 June 2020. It aims to bring the architecture and design world together to celebrate the culture and commerce of our industry, and explore how it can adapt and respond to extraordinary circumstances.

To find out what's coming up at VDF, check out the schedule. For more information or to join the mailing list, email vdf@dezeen.com.

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Gourds Grown in Vessel-Shaped Molds Become Reusable Cups and Flasks

All images © CRÈME, shared with permission

With Jun Aizaki’s latest design, you could be picking up your morning latte poured into a dried gourd rather than a disposable adorned with a green siren. The Brooklyn-based designer, who owns CRÈME, recently launched a project to reduce single-use plastic waste by shaping the flowering fruit into simple drinking vessels. Heading The Gourd Project, Aizaki created both a cup and a flask that can hold hot and cold liquids and are an alternative to traditional products. After three to six uses, the containers can be composted with other food waste.

Aizaki “explored the century-old craft of drying plants to make receptacles, in order to find a way to reduce plastic and contribute to nature through design,” project organizers said. Each biodegradable vessel takes about six weeks to grow from its first planting at a Pennsylvania farm with six harvests each year. Because gourds have tough skin and fibrous insides, they’re shaped easily as they fill out. Each 3D mold is made of plastic right now, although the team hopes to switch to reusable materials once it expands production.

The sustainable project comes amid reports that the ongoing coronavirus pandemic is increasing plastic consumption and affecting how, and if, the material is recycled, in addition to companies banning reusable cups and containers to stop the spread of the virus.

Follow the design firm’s waste-conscious products on Instagram, and stay tuned for the project’s upcoming launch on Kickstarter. You also might want to check out this lobster shell upcycle.

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"Corporations are beginning to sound a lot like governments" says Bianca Wylie at reSITE conference

Open-government advocate Bianca Wylie discusses her concerns over smart-city project Sidewalk Toronto in the fourth VDF talk in collaboration with reSITE.

Wylie, who has a background in technology and public engagement, earned the moniker "the Jane Jacobs of smart cities" for her resistance to Sidewalk Labs' proposed Sidewalk Toronto, a smart neighbourhood being developed by the subsidiary of Google parent company Alphabet.

In her reSITE lecture, given at the REGENERATE conference in September 2019, she said that we need to remember the power, importance and urgency of operating as a collective.

Bianca Wylie at reSITE's REGENERATE conference

Wylie tells of her reaction to finding out about the Sidewalk Toronto project, and how looking after the people who need housing, food, infrastructure and transport isn't a profitable undertaking but the role of the state.

"For two years I have been working with others to advocate for this city and for the role of the government because my fear right now is that corporations are beginning to sound a lot like governments," she said.

"And sometimes I can't believe that I have to remind people this: they do not operate on the same basis."

"A moment for cities to rise to protect from the worst instincts of states"

Wylie's concern with Sidewalk Toronto was that the smart-city project was blending the roles of governments and those of corporations too much.

"Design has been an incredible handmaiden to delivering dreams," Wylie said. "That may not be coming from the state, that may be coming from designers and from the private sector, which is beautiful. That can be very very confusing."

Eventually, she argues, increasing privatisation leads to problems with regulations – as seen with Uber and Airbnb.

"People start liking it, people start using it, and then it gets very difficult to untangle in terms of how it is working," she said. "How do we regulate this, what do we do about it. That's not by accident. And so the design of processes in democracy is critical."

Wylie believes the solution is to come together as a collective and look at how we regulate space in our cities.

"My plea to all of you is to participate in these spaces very thoughtfully and to remember that right now there is a moment for cities to rise to protect from the worst instincts of states, which right now can be pretty bad," she said.

"And come together as a collective to work on these issues we have in our cities."

About reSITE

reSITE is a non-profit organisation with a focus on rethinking cities, architecture and urban development. Its aim is to connect leaders and support the synergies across real estate, architecture, urbanism, politics, culture and economics.

reSITE's flagship event is held in Prague, but it has also held events in Lisbon and Berlin. reSITE was founded in 2011 by Martin Barry, a landscape architect originally from New York.

About Virtual Design Festival

Virtual Design Festival, the world's first digital design festival, runs from 15 April to 30 June 2020. It aims to bring the architecture and design world together to celebrate the culture and commerce of our industry, and explore how it can adapt and respond to extraordinary circumstances.

To find out what's coming up at VDF, check out the schedule. For more information or to join the mailing list, email vdf@dezeen.com.

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The building of the future will be "an ecosystem by itself" says architect Chris Precht

The third lecture from today's collaboration between VDF and reSITE sees Chris Precht of studio Precht explain his mission to design buildings that serve both environmental and emotional needs.

Precht, founded by Chris Precht and his wife Fei Precht, explores low-impact building technologies and ways of making buildings more self-sufficient.

Examples include its proposal for a timber housing tower that integrates a vertical farm and an off-grid timber micro-home.

It recently designed Parc de la Distance, a proposed urban park that enables people to maintain social distancing during the coronavirus pandemic.

Chris Precht spoke about Precht's work at the 2019 reSITE festival

Precht started his talk at 2019's REGENERATE conference by explaining the impact his father Albert Precht, a keen mountain climber, has had on his work.

"I think that my dad had a very direct connection to our natural environment," Precht said. "He feels connected to his own senses, his own feelings, to his own emotions, but also to history, nature, and to the environment. And I think there are a lot of lessons for architects to learn from that."

Architects today are mostly building to make a profit

However, Precht feels that architecture today has lost touch with its emotional and environmental purpose and instead is driven by money.

"We built the pyramids for gods," Precht said. "We built castles for kings. We built palaces for queens and now we are building mostly to make a profit in an economic system."

His and Fei's studio instead chooses to focus on connecting its work to the environment. One example is its Wild Child Village in Ecuador, which was built using a modular bamboo system. Joints are tied with ropes, which means the materials can be reused.

"It connects people back into this reality, into an objective reality of nature, and of the environment," Precht explained.

He argues that architects need to look at the environment more through the eyes of children.

"If we do that, I think there are a lot of spaces we create that are more discoverable and more explorable for people. And I think to discover and to explore is something so fundamental, that is somehow stuck in our DNA, like my dad did for 67 years."

"We can think of the building as an ecosystem"

After starting its office in Beijing about six years ago, Precht moved back to Austria about three years ago to get an improved quality of life.

"This was a difficult decision, but it was a very important one because we are working long hours and we are constantly undervalued," Precht said.

"I actually think that architects wear black not out of a minimalistic fashion statement, I think we wear black because of an emotional statement. I think that we are very sad inside and the black is somehow a cry for help."

Today, the studio works on a number of projects that aim to reinforce a connection to nature, including The Farmhouse, which combines modular homes with vertical farms, and a 3D-printed pavilion made out of sand.

"We can think of the building of the future differently," Precht said. "We can think of it as an ecosystem by itself. We can listen to the birds and bees nesting into our buildings, and we can smell, taste, and eat parts of our buildings."

He believes his generation of architects is not driven by styles, forms or intellectual theories. "I think that our generation has much bigger problems than that, climate change, global warming pollution and urbanization and AI," he said. "These are all tasks now of an architect."

About reSITE

reSITE is a non-profit organisation with a focus on rethinking cities, architecture and urban development. Its aim is to connect leaders and support the synergies across real estate, architecture, urbanism, politics, culture and economics.

reSITE's flagship event is held in Prague, but it has also held events in Lisbon and Berlin. reSITE was founded in 2011 by Martin Barry, a landscape architect originally from New York.

About Virtual Design Festival

Virtual Design Festival, the world's first digital design festival, runs from 15 April to 30 June 2020. It aims to bring the architecture and design world together to celebrate the culture and commerce of our industry, and explore how it can adapt and respond to extraordinary circumstances.

To find out what's coming up at VDF, check out the schedule. For more information or to join the mailing list, email vdf@dezeen.com.

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