COVID-19 as a driver of industrialisation

Challenge

On 12 March, 2020, the first COVID-19 case was registered in Kenya.1 The Oak Tree Centre for Kidney and Chronic Diseases is located in Eldoret, where the number of infections and hospitalisations increased rapidly during the spring of 2020. The hospital lacked sections where patients could be isolated as well as facilities that would make it possible to comply with distance requirements and create safe working conditions for staff. The need to expand capacity was urgent, and at the same time, adapting to the new situation had to happen without disrupting the hospital’s daily operations – at a time when a large number of people sought medical attention for the treatment of both COVID-19 and other diseases.

Solution

The Oak Tree Centre for Kidney and Chronic Diseases decided to construct a new, detached building on the hospital grounds with four separate isolation rooms. The building is designed with a focus on safety and ventilation and also has a number of technologies that are not typical of hospital construction in Kenya, such as photovoltaic systems. The construction technique made it possible to build the four isolation rooms in a very short time and with minimal disruption to the hospital’s other activities. The prefabricated building uses new materials and techniques that require specialised skills but which also reduce the construction period and increase flexibility.

The industrialised production method represents an innovation in the Kenyan building industry, where the traditional construction process is low-tech and on-site and relies on unskilled labour. The project is an example of how responses to an emergency situation can open up new avenues for innovation and development. The health authorities are now considering applying the same methods to other projects in the region.

Taxonomy

Sphere: Treatment

Timescale: Long Term

Type: Building Intervention

User Group: Employees/Service Providers, Customers/Users

The traditional and low-tech construction process relies on labour and is time intensive

The new construction process requires specialised labour but is time efficient

Project and location: Modular Integrated Construction, Lei Yue Mun Park, Hong Kong

Contributor: Architectural Services Department HKSAR

Established: April 2020