How did China build an emergency hospital in Wuhan in just 10 days?
China has completed the construction of an emergency hospital specifically built to handle the Wuhan coronavirus in just 10 days.
The emergency medical facility spans 59,922 square meters and admitted its first patients on February 4, 2020. The hospital consists of two floors and is equipped with 1,000 beds, several isolation wards, and 30 intensive care units.
The first construction images surfaced on January 23 on social media, showing dozens of bulldozers and excavators rushing to level the ground.
A before-and-after image of the Huoshenshan Hospital being built in Wuhan, China.
source : businessinsider.sg
In the following days, live online streaming was set up so that people could follow the construction progress.
But how did China manage to build a hospital in only 10 days?
"Using prefabrication units is the key to constructing buildings at such a rapid pace," said David Hartley, the CEO of the engineering company NTX, which also focuses on hospital construction in the UK.
"Instead of first building the foundations and then following up with the superstructure (such as steel frames, buildings, and cladding), prefabrication units allow the foundation and building construction to proceed in parallel."
source : edition.cnn.com
"So the prefabricated elements, which look like transportable Lego blocks, are actually made off-site while the foundation is being prepared on-site."
source : edition.cnn.com
The hastily constructed Huoshenshan Hospital was also modeled on the blueprint of medical facilities established in Beijing in 2003 to assist in combating the SARS epidemic, which also helped expedite the construction process, according to Quartz.
The Chinese government media has also given numerous accolades to more than 7,500 workers who worked around the clock to build the hospital.
In online clips by CGTN, there were interviews with workers who said, "We've been working here for nine days. We only slept for two hours in three days."
But many still appeared glad to provide assistance. In the same CGTN recording, another worker said, "When disaster strikes, help comes from all sides. I am a Wuhan resident. It is my duty to protect my hometown."
source : edition.cnn.com
China also built a second hospital just 25 miles away from Huoshenshan, which will also be dedicated to coronavirus patient care and is scheduled to receive its first patients soon.
source : businessinsider.sg
