The University of Southern California School of Architecture has announced the launch of the HLW Project Héroe Research Initiative, an "interdisciplinary task force comprised of architects, consultants, medical experts, contractors, and USC Architecture students and recent graduates that aims to find a built solution to prevent future COVID-19-like outbreaks."

The effort is led by USC Architecture alumnus David Swartz and is being developed in collaboration with architects HLW and the USC Keck School of Medicine. According to a press release published by the school, Project Héroe will study how "COVID-19 can help identify infrastructures that will thwart future pandemics and allow people to interact unhindered by social distancing."  

Describing the project, Swartz writes, “My goal with this project is the hope to have an impact on the world and on the safety of our future.” 

USC School of Architecture Dean Milton S. F. Curry adds “We teach that architects are active participants in their society and can solve a wide range of issues through creative built solutions. Project Héroe provides our students with a rare opportunity to put their citizen-focused architectural education into practice to help solve a current global crisis. They can make an immediate impact on our future with their fresh, innovative thinking. We are honored that HLW and USC Keck School of Medicine elected to collaborate with our students on this timely project.”

Over the summer, a team of funded students and volunteer architects, doctors, and other researchers will engage in thinking and experimentation focused on pushing the project towards its goal of exploring built environment solutions for pandemic response.

The school reports that $43,500 in funding has been raised by the USC Architectural Guild and local and national built environment firms for Project Héroe. 

The project follows the#OperationPPE effort launched from the USC School of Architecture and the USC Keck School of Medicine, among other partners, at the onset of the pandemic that helped to produce much-needed Personal Protective Equipment for area doctors.