The American Institute of Architects (AIA) has published a preliminary “Preparedness Assessment Tool” to help architects and healthcare directors appropriately select existing buildings for reuse as Alternative Care Sites (ACS). 

The document brings together best practices for ACS design based on existing and recently implemented directives and was developed according to “joint professional input from trained and experienced health care architects, designers, engineers, scientists, life-safety consultants, healthcare professionals, and hospital facility operations,” according to the document. 

The Tool stakes out key priorities for these temporary sites and offers design guidance for limiting the spread of viruses within the facility while establishing a baseline level of quality and functionality for the healthcare delivered in these spaces. 

Across the country, through both local and federal initiatives, existing buildings have been retrofit for for temporary emergency hospital use as the surging COVID-19 pandemic has significantly strained existing healthcare facilities. In New York, for example, Governor Andrew Cuomo and the Army Corps of Engineers are hard at work transforming a series of existing convention centers, college dormitories, and other facilities into temporary hospitals for both conventional patients and for those suffering from COVID-19, depending on the location. 

In Seattle, San Francisco, and Los Angeles, several existing buildings, including other convention centers, have also been transformed for healthcare uses. 

The AIA’s guide offers guidance for a selection of key project parameters, including operations approaches, site selection, and issues dealing with proper levels of water, electrical, and telecommunications capacities. 

The Tool is the latest effort to be unveiled by AIA’s COVID-19 Task Force and follows the creation of an online database collecting information on the various ACS projects across the country.