With the treat of Ebola cases growing throughout the world, we at Habitat for Healing are purposing a competition for both Medical Professionals and Architects to collaborate. Putting Ebola patients in traditional hospitals has led to the increased spread of the disease, thus, sparking the MASH Pad Movement. This international competition asks the world to answer 3 questions in response to the current Ebola outbreak:
1) What could a new MASH Pad Unit (Mobile Architectures for Strategic Healing) in response to the Ebola outbreak look like?
2) Where could these units be specifically located in your community?
3) How can DESIGN help contain and control the spread of disease?
M.A.S.H. (Mobile Architecture for Strategic Healing) Pad International Design Ideas Competition
Organizer: Habitat for Healing (Student lead Non-Profit Organization comprised of Architecture and Medical students of New York Institute of Technology)
With Assistance from: Dr. W. Gilliar and Professor F. Mruk (Architect)
Type of competition: Open International Ideas Competition
Entries are solicited from anyone including but not limited to architecture, engineering and design firms and final-year architecture and students of these respected fields from all over the world, with a medical professional and a medical student as consultants.
1. Goal of the competition:
To create an effective system that will serve as an environment of healing, protection for the general public in the event of a rapidly escalating epidemic or pandemic situation.
2. Object of the competition:
Creatively crowd source ideas for mobile architecture for strategic healing to be utilized to address future epidemic and pandemic issues. To create a guide book for typologies used in response to disease spread prevention. To apply some of the ideas in areas where they are most needed.
3. Deadlines and stages for conduct of the competition:
3.1. Start of the competition and commencement of registration: December 15th, 2014
3.2. Deadline for first round submission of Concepts: January 19th, 2015
3.3. Announcement of first round finalists: January 23th, 2015
3.4 Final Round Submission Deadline: March 23th, 2015
4. Procedures for participation in the competition
4.1. To take part in the competition, please register on the http://habitatforhealing.wix.com/habitatforhealing page. It is permissible to register as an individual or as a group. Any persons partaking in the Jury, Habitat for Healing, or the MASH Pad Competition Committee is not eligible to enter the competition. Jury will be announced on website at a later date.
4.2. Registration implies that the participant agrees with the present Rules and Conditions for Participation in the Competition.
4.3. When you have successfully registered and submitted two (2) 11” x 17” PDF formatted concept sketches entry via email, a competition brief and full set of materials to be used in devising your concept design will be sent to the email address that you indicated when filling out the registration form.
4.4. Participants may devise and submit no more than three (3) Concepts. The first round contestant will produce two (2) 11 x 17 landscape freeform concept sketches. The concept sketches must include the concept of the entry labeled with the submission number (Eventbrite order number), the title of the project and its location (font Bank Gothic Lt. Bt.), for each entry. As a form of identification the order number from Eventbrite is to be placed on entry. Each subsequent round entry must have the entry label clearly marked on the submission.
4.5. With regard to all questions relating to the organization of the competition and all aspects of the brief, participants may consult the coordinators at the following email address: [email protected]. For all questions please submit via email by January 1st, 2015, all will be answered on the webpage: http://www.habitatforhealing.wix.com/habitatforhealing by January 6th, 2015.
4.6. When the competition closes for entries, the competition jury will compile a shortlist of the best Concepts. The names of the finalists will be announced on the competition’s webpage: http://www.habitatforhealing.wix.com/habitatforhealing . Regardless of who wins the competition, all shortlisted Concepts will be published under their authors’ names in a presentational post-competition album.
4.7. The competition winners will be chosen at a conclusory session of the jury following the narrowing of the entries by the competition committee for the best works.
4.8. All information on the competition, as well as news and announcements of events, will be published on the competition webpage, http://www.habitatforhealing.wix.com/habitatforhealing
4.9. The organizer is not entitled to review, comment on, and publish submitted Concepts that do not confirm to the competition brief.
4.10. Submissions will be excluded from the Competition:
If, in the opinion of the Judging Panel, it does not fulfill the requirements of the Competition Brief;
If any of the mandatory requirements of the Competition Brief and Conditions are disregarded.
If submissions are entered after 11:59 p.m. est, January 16th 2015
5. The competition jury
The jury members will be comprised of Architects, Medical and Health Care Professionals, and Designers. Names will be announced and posted to the webpage http://www.habitatforhealing.wix.com/habitatforhealing at a later date.
6. Requirements regarding the volume and presentation of entries:
6.1. Work should be submitted in the form of 11”x 17” PDF presentations with a description not more than 200 words containing explicatory notes and individual PNG images via email. This material should be submitted for your proposals no later than the deadline for submission of Concepts. Participants agree that their Concepts may be submitted for consideration by the jury without indication of authorship.
6.2 Concepts may include visualizations, diagrams, drawings (plans, sections) of the MASH Pad unit and/or facility and an explanatory text which together should give the fullest possible representation of the authors’ idea. There is no limit to the number of images that may be submitted.
7. Procedures governing the use of submitted Concepts during and after the competition
7.1. In accepting the present conditions, participants guarantee that they possess exclusive rights to Concepts which they have submitted for the competition.
7.2. At the end of the competition all concepts submitted by participants may be used by the competition organizer as exhibits in the closing exhibition. Concepts may be published in the media and on the Internet and may be used in material (albums, presentations, and so on) circulated by Habitat for Healing for its own corporate use, provided that the authors’ names are indicated.
7.3. In the event that third parties bring complaints against the competition organizer relating to the publication of Concepts submitted by the participant in any kind of informational resource (media, Internet) from the point of view of violation of intellectual property, participants are obliged to deal with such complaints themselves and at their own expense.
M.A.S.H. Pad Competition Food for Thought
With the treat of Ebola cases growing throughout the world, we at Habitat for Healing are purposing an open ideas competition with a focus on the Ebola epidemic. Putting Ebola patients in traditional hospitals has led to the increased spread of the disease, thus, sparking the MASH Pad Movement. How are we going to handle the patients of the next infectious virus? Can we envision a solution of mobile architectures in response to this problem?
As a team, Habitat for Healing has gathered a few questions; however, it is not the purpose of this competition to generate a program, thus the questions are to generate or help formulate ideas. Once again, this is an open idea competition; therefore the use, site location and all details are decided and researched by the participant.
Things you may want to consider:
1. Air:
a. Consider maintaining and conditioning the air at an appropriate indoor air temperature and humidity that is comfortable for the staff and patients; removing and filtering contaminated air; Facilitating air handling requirements to protect staff from airborne pathogens.
b. Consider controlling dust and contaminants in and on surfaces, pressurization methods to prevent inappropriate air flow from adjacent rooms, and isolation methods with anterooms as deemed appropriate.
2. Water:
a. Consider the basic components and point-of-use fixtures for a health-care facility water system, including hot and cold water piping systems, sterile water supply, etc.
b. Point-of-use fixtures should include hand washing sinks and dispensers, especially in the patient area and doffing area; showers, at least in the doffing area; eye washing stations.
c.Consider water-damage management including drying protocols for handling water intrusion from floods, leaks, and condensation.
3. Environmental Services
a. In general, facility designs should feature a one-way workflow from donning PPE to decontamination in order minimize contaminating clean environments.
b. How can architectural design aid in allowing a safe procedure for family members to visit or maintain contact with sick patients?
c. Special considerations need to be made for handling flowers & plants, as well as other outside wellness gifts in patient care areas.
d. Facility designs should incorporate pest control strategies in kitchens, cafeterias, laundries, central sterile supply areas, operating rooms, loading docks, and construction areas. Please keep in mind of the different animal and insect populations endemic to the area where your facility will be located.
4. Environmental Sampling
a. How can architectural design and innovation aid in conducting air, water, and surface microbiological sampling?
b. Consider the possible characteristics and conditions of the aerosol, including concentration of microorganisms, and environmental factors (e.g. location, weather, humidity, air quality,)
c. Consider the type of automated sampling instruments that can be efficiently incorporated.
5. Regulated Medical Waste
a. Consider within your designs how to safely, yet humanely dispose of the deceased with sensitivity to the cultural and family wishes of the departed. Current recommendations advise for immediate burial over cremation within specified double leak-proof bags.
* Participants should research isolation and containment medical planning details from current Codes and agencies such as NYS DOH, CDC and the FGI Federal Guidelines, to gain a well rounded view of what is required for the disease.
