China builds 645,000-sf coronavirus hospital in 10 days

A new hospital in Wuhan, China, built to treat patients of the coronavirus outbreak, has finished construction in just 10 days, according to an Associated Press article.

The 645,000-sf Huoshenshan Hospital relied on the use of prefabricated rooms and 7,000 engineers, carpenters, electricians, plumbers, and other tradesmen working around the clock to complete the project so quickly. The two-story, 1,000-bed facility houses patient wards, which includes isolation wards and 30 intensive-care units; bathrooms; doctor rooms, and nurse stations, the Associated Press said, citing China’s Yangtze Daily newspaper.

Huoshenshan Hospital under construction fromabove

Specialized ventilation systems and double-sided cabinets that connect patient rooms to hallways allow staff to bring supplies to patients without having to enter the rooms. Infrared scanners will warn if any staff members show signs of fever. A video system, installed in fewer than 12 hours, will allow doctors to talk with experts in Beijing’s PLA General Hospital.

A second facility, the 1,500-bed Leishenshan Hospital, is set to open Wednesday after beginning construction on Jan. 27.

Walsh Construction, one of the largest contractors in the city of Chicago and in the United States, is leading the temporary conversion of a portion of the McCormick Place Convention Center into an Alternate Care Facility (ACF) for novel coronavirus patients. Construction on the first 500 beds was completed on April 3.

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