Archinect - News

All that leftover PPE can be used for building materials, according to a new RMIT study

2022-08-25T19:48:00-04:00

Engineers at RMIT University have developed a method to use disposable personal protective equipment (PPE) to make concrete stronger, providing an innovative way to significantly reduce pandemic-generated waste. [...] Joint lead author, Dr Rajeev Roychand, said there was real potential for construction industries around the world to play a significant role in transforming this waste into a valuable resource.

According to the RMIT researchers, an incredible 54,000 tons of PPE waste has been produced daily since the start of the pandemic. "With a circular economy approach, we could keep that waste out of landfill while squeezing the full value out of these materials to create better products — it's a win on all fronts," the team’s research leader and corresponding author, Professor Jie Li, said.

Three separate materials were shredded and then mixed into concrete at rates between 0.1 and 0.25%. Science Daily reports that, among other deliverables, the research found that:

rubber gloves increased compressive strength by up to 22%
isolation gowns increased resistance to bending stress by up to 21%, compressive strength by 15%, and elasticity by 12%
face masks increased compressive strength by up to 17%

According to the scientists, "the next step for the research is to evaluate the potential for mixing the PPE streams, develop practical implementation strategies, and work towards field trials." ...

Massimo Iosa Ghini lanches conceptual PPE solution

2020-05-14T11:23:00-04:00

Italian architect Massimo Iosa Ghini launches a conceptual design for a new protective face mask solution. The concept covers the entire face, providing a full shield for the user's most vulnerable areas. "Design has to give his contribution and designer’s responsibility is to share tangible solutions," said the architect in a statement. "I thought to design a new mask, aesthetically pleasant, easily to use, and above all it can be used repeatedly."

Is the BioVYZER air-filtration protective shield a peek into our future?

2020-05-07T14:36:00-04:00

The patent-pending BioVYZER has already raised $124,341 in funding on Indiegogo which is significantly higher than the original goal of $7,104. The protective shield uses powered air purifying technology through N-95 filtration and offers protection to the users entire face. According to VYZER Technologies, the developer of the offering, the product can filter out 95 percent of particulate matter.

Berlin-based art collective creates "iSphere," a science-fiction inspired PPE solution

2020-05-07T12:21:00-04:00

While many in architecture have been contributing to the production of PPE, Berlin-based art collective Plastique Fantastique has taken a unique approach to the traditional face mask. While not the first solution that covers the whole head, the iSphere takes on the form of its title, surrounding the user's head in a transparent sphere to protect from unwanted contraction of airborne disease.

The development of iSphere comes in response to the mandate in Berlin, effective April 27th, that one's mouth and nose must be covered while using public transportation. The project is open-source.

Essentially, the collective took two transparent hollow hemispheres, taped them together, and cut a hole to fit their heads, a procedure the group says took about 30 minutes at minimal cost.

"The iconic design is inspired by the science fiction comics of the 50s and the creations of the utopian movements of the 60s; it is very pop, and it belongs to everybody. The iSphere is a funny and serious obje...

Harvard PPE team uses Slack to design patient isolation hood for hospital use

2020-04-16T13:29:00-04:00

Following up on their efforts to fabricate masks and other Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) for local hospitals, a team of Harvard University-based designers and medical professionals are working to design new PPE devices, including what is known as a Patient Isolation Hood (PIH).

The hood, according to an article posted on the Harvard Graduate School of Design website, consists of a molded plastic shield that is placed between a patient and attending doctors. The shield allows doctors to perform necessary and life-saving procedures on infectious patients, including intubation and other procedures, while protecting the doctors from infection and limiting the potential spread of pathogens.

Views of the PIH equipment being fabricated at GSD’s Gund Hall. Photo courtesy MGB Center for COVID Innovation.

GSD’s website states, “GSD’s Digital Fabrication Specialist Chris Hansen has collaborated with an array of Harvard and GSD colleagues to design two PIH prototypes, fabricating them on...

GSD-led team is fabricating PPE for Boston's Brigham and Women's Hospital

2020-04-10T14:25:00-04:00

As design communities around the country come together to help fabricate new stockpiles of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE), a team at Harvard University is undertaking its own PPE manufacturing operation.

Representatives from the Harvard University Graduate School of Design (GSD), John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences (SEAS), Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering, Harvard Medical School, and the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health have pooled resources, production capabilities, and labor to produce over 1,000 face shields and 750 visors so far.

View of GSD's custom face mask visors. Image courtesy of Harvard University Graduate School of Design.

A team led by Stephen Ervin, GSD Assistant Dean for Information Technology, and Chris Hansen, the GSD's 3-D Fabrication Specialist, is guiding efforts at the GSD, where the school's 3-D printers and laser-cutting equipment is being put to work fabricating PPE.

According to information provided ...

Foster + Partners shares design for reusable face visor; No 3D printing necessary

2020-04-07T19:30:00-04:00

Foster + Partners has designed a general-purpose prototype face visor that can be cleaned and reused to aid in the fight against COVID-19. The firm's hope is to encourage both designers and large scale manufacturers to investigate the potential of digital and laser cutting machines as an alternative to the slower 3D-printing approach for fabricating Personal Protective Equipment (PPE).

The mask is made of three components: a visor made from 0.5mm optically clear PETG, an interlocking soft PP headband, and a surgical silicone rubber head strap that ties the two together. Foster + Partners cuts all of these components.

Image: Foster + Partners

According to Foster + Partners, each visor can be cut from sheets in under 30 seconds and the components can be assembles in under a minute. The firm says it was able to use a single cutting machine to cut and assemble pieces for 1,000 visors in one day.

The visor can be disassembled, cleaned, sanitized, and reused as desired by the user. Foster +...

LA Mayor calls on architects to expand 3D-printed PPE efforts

2020-04-06T13:19:00-04:00

The American Institute of Architects Los Angeles (AIA |LA) chapter has been asked by Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti to aid the city in its efforts to expand the growing #OperationPPE initiative that has taken root in the city.

Initiated by a team led by University of Southern California (USC) Associate Professor Alvin Huang, #OperationPPE brings together resources and expertise from throughout the USC ecosystem (including its medical and engineering schools) with the productive capabilities of local architecture firms, universities, and other 3D-printing facilities. The effort, which includes contributions from University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), Southern California Institute of Architecture (SCI-Arc), and Cal Poly LA Metro architecture programs, has been working around the clock over the last week to manufacture makeshift Personal Protective Equipment for area hospital workers who are on the frontlines of the coronavirus pandemic.

Previously on Archinect: “#OperationPP...

LuxMea Studio launches AI-generated 3D-printed face mask funding campaign

2020-04-03T12:27:00-04:00

Toronto-based LuxMea Studio has combined artificial intelligence (AI), computational design, and 3D printing to develop the Nuo 3D Mask. The mask is custom tailored to each user with the help of AI to fit any head shape. On its Kickstarter page, the team writes: "[We] started to wonder, what if you could have a mask that is comfortable to wear as long as you want to and protects you with a tailored fit? What if you could wear it out of pleasure like a pair of sunglasses."

Mask assembly and color options.

The mask is reusable and utilizes a replaceable filter system. According to LuxMea, the Nuo 3D Mask addresses common problems found in cotton masks, mainly in the areas of air leakage and comfort. The masks are due to begin shipping by this summer.

Seattle architects are supplying face shields to local health workers

2020-04-03T11:51:00-04:00

Architecture firms Weber Thompson of Seattle and MZA of Bellevue are helping supply face shields and goggles to fight the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic locally. Over a two-week period, Weber Thompson plans to print 100 bands — the rigid plastic piece to which the clear face shield attaches to protect the wearer. The bands will be delivered to Seattle Makers, which will attach them and distribute the shields.

According to the Seattle DJC, the group's goal is to provide 5,000 shields for "local hospitals, essential businesses and facilities, homeless shelter workers, and others fighting COVID-19. Weber Thompson is using their 3D printer to create the bands for the face shields, each takes about two to three hours to print, the DJC reports.

In addition to the Weber Thompson and MZA, many other businesses have come on to help with the effort, Seattle Maker co-founder Jeremy Hanson told the DJC. Architects can go to the PRUSA website to locate open-source plans for the face shield bands to contribute if they wish, said Weber Thompson Marketing Director Erin Hatch.

#OperationPPE puts architects to work 3d-printing protective equipment for frontline medical workers

2020-04-02T18:42:00-04:00

Across the country, design communities have mobilized to assist in the effort to fill supply gaps in Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) for healthcare workers operating on the front lines of the coronavirus pandemic.

Last week, Archinect reported on efforts at Princeton, Cornell, and Columbia that are coming together to 3D-print visors and face shield harnesses, fabricate hospital gowns, and manufacture other PPE to serve the region’s hospitals.

Recently on Archinect: “Architecture schools are using digital fab labs to 3D print medical equipment.”University schools of architecture are coming together to aid in the coronavirus response. Image courtesy of Columbia University Libraries.

On the west coast, a project inspired by a call to arms from Cornell University Professor Jenny Sabin has sprung up around the University of Southern California (USC). There, multiple campus entities, including the USC School of Architecture, the USC Viterbi School of Engineering, the USC Iovine Young ...

Architecture schools are using digital fab labs to 3D print medical equipment

2020-03-25T13:50:00-04:00

As the COVID-19 crisis continues to worsen and foreseeable shortages of necessary safety and medical equipment begin to materialize, several initiatives involving designers have sprung up to aid in the production of specialized protective gear for the doctors and nurses treating sick patients.

Rapidly Produced Face Shields

One effort is taking root through a network of partnerships between Barnard College and Columbia University, where librarians, designers, and technicians at the school's Design Center are working together to 3D-print protective face shields for medical workers.

The project has resulted in the Guide and Design for Rapidly Produced Face Shields, a document created by Columbia's Digital Scholarship Librarian Alex Gil and Research Data Librarian Moacir P. de Sá Pereira that includes a list of materials and instructions for 3D printing plastic protective visors for hospital use.

"Although 3D printers can be used to print complex PPE such as N95 masks," text on the p...

Architects and fabrication specialists join together to mitigate the COVID-19 medical supply shortage

2020-03-20T11:39:00-04:00

With news of COVID-19 affecting individuals across the globe, hospitals and medical clinics are experiencing a shortage in supplies such as ventilators, respirators, and personal protective equipment (PPE). However, as news of the virus spreads, design professionals are banning together with medical professionals and engineers to find solutions to the shortage.

Public Facebook groups like Open Source Ventilator have created discussion forums to help brainstorm, share, and prototype various solutions. A report from CNET dives into this coverage and shares which companies are joining the effort. "HP, teeth straightener vendor SmileDirectClub and various other companies are exploring ways to use their 3D-printing technology to build things like ventilator valves, breathing filters, and face mask clasps." Earlier this week, Archinect reported of Italian 3D-printing company Isinnova and their success in designing and printing respirator valves for hospitals in the area.

Now more than ev...