Graduation Project as an Application of COVID-19 Impact on Students’ Experience—Case Study Medical Center Al Ain, UAE

Abstract

The pandemic had a significant impact on the medical environment. With a surge of patients and limited facilities, managing the patients was challenging. This pandemic taught us how to redesign medical facilities in our cities for future events of such magnitude. In the academic environment, especially in the architectural engineering field, designing facilities that can operate as per the needs of the population is crucial. Based on the students’ individual experiences during the challenging time of COVID-19, Medical Center as a graduation project came to life. There are several Medical Center facilities in the UAE. Unfortunately, some of those facilities cannot provide enough treatment spaces, basic needs, and facilities that they would need. The project discussed in this report is COVID Ready Medical Facilities Construction Design and Management. The methodology follows the below main points:

• Define the project's objectives: This project's purpose is to provide medical facilities in UAE and build temporary Center that can be assembled on site and dismantled when required. The building must be assembled, dismantled, and removed easily and as fast as possible.

• Define the main points of sustainability and innovation: Innovative building technologies methods are intended to be used, as well as renewable sources of energy are applied. The building should be able to respond to various public health issues and future challenges.

• Based on the pandemic experience and the standards: Some suggested services are discussed as well to provide private, mediative, and natural light for patients and workers that intend to spend their time in the medical facility.

• Define construction systems for a sustainable building: Appropriate construction methods Analysis, risk management, and estimations for cost studies will be applied.

• Lessons learned and future applications in graduate project.

The aim of this research is to show how the pandemic situation and the personal experience of students can have an impact on designing a Medical Center that can be moved and assembled in any site as required, also that can be dismantled later leaving the same condition of the site before assembly, the construction method should be easy and fast as the pandemic can occur at any time. The lessons learned and applied are an example of how experience can improve the academic environment.

1 Introduction

The pandemic had an impact on everyone's life. In this study, the aim is to investigate the pandemic's impact on the design process of this graduate project. This project's purpose is to provide medical facilities in UAE and build a temporary center that can be assembled on site and dismantled when required. The building must be assembled, dismantled, and removed easily and as fast as possible.

There are several projects around the world that can be analyzed to understand better the typology of the graduate project.

The Puntukurnu Aboriginal Medical Service Healthcare Hub is the first primary healthcare facility constructed in Newman, Australia. It has an area of 970 sqm and was built and designed by Kaunitz Yeung Architecture. The project is Community-focused, connected to the country, incorporating culture, and provides a high standard of care. The material used for this project was all local material. The building is rammed with earth, the original building material, abundant, free, and sustainable. The embodied energy of the building was lowered by entirely using the earth available on the site itself, rather than being clad in manufactured materials transported from 1400 km (about 869.92 mi) away. One of the main goals of using this material is to reflect the different lights exposed to the building and absorb the rain. Moreover, 80% of the building’s energy is taken from direct sunlight by Photovoltaic panels that completely cover the roof [7].

The University of Arizona Cancer Center represents the first clinical healthcare component on the Phoenix Biomedical Campus, United States. It has an area of 2050 sqm and was built and designed by ZGF Architects. The project’s goal was to bring the highest standard of cancer care within an evidence-based, multidisciplinary model, using the most modern technologies in Phoenix. A unique identity is established by the comfort, privacy, and warmth provided through the interior and exterior facades of the building, which relates to the patient’s experience. The building’s architectural expression is formed through the layering of glass, copper-colored metal, and neutral stone. A solar shading system made up of rectangular aluminum composite panels perforated with half-inch diameter holes yielding a 40% openness factor was used to clad east and west facades. The panels are folded once bending outward to reveal a shaded view of the surrounding desert context from interior spaces. A contextual aesthetic is added to the project by the copper-toned assembly that takes the coloration of the landscape [4].

The medical facility is located in Brugge, Belgium. It has an area of 215 sqm and was built and designed by Cristian Panaite and Katrien Devreese in 2012. The Architects replaced a modest existing house and connected it to a new building. The building was painted white and had a dynamic roof shape to be recognizable from a distance. The project offers extra urban depth to the main street by creating a fresh open visual perspective perpendicular to it. The proposal takes the form of a sequence of distinct volumes that obstruct the main street's linear progress. Four different volumetric entities emerge from a single constructed volume. The first borrows the adjacent context's low scale, the second reaches the highest point, providing the entire visual independence, and the final two gradually blend into the backyard's flat terrain [6].

The Medical campus with urgent care is in North Hollywood, California. It has an area of 3737 sqm and was built and designed by PATTERNS IN 2019. The project diagonally splits the original structure to create a green public space between the new medical facility and the adjacent block, creating a direct link between the parking lot and Victory Boulevard public access. Outdoor seating, bicycle parking, and a communal seating staircase are all available in this newly designed open-air area. The diagonal cut also permits a set of medical offices on the mezzanine level to face the open plaza, providing a unique spatial arrangement with terraced crystallized shapes. The project prioritizes outdoor spaces, natural lighting, and human contact through the building of the green plaza. On the ground floor, a glass storefront faces the plaza and welcomes guests with an indoor-outdoor blend. This glass storefront looks straight into the main lobby, which contains numerous medical services as well as a cafe. A new basement and a mezzanine were later added and expanded to the building [10].

2 Methodology

The methodology follows a linear path toward the main aims of this research. The site selection describes the initial investigation into the chosen location. The design development describes the stages of design including the pandemic lessons, the following step adds more information on the points considered and the influence of the pandemic. The project outcomes include the incorporated lessons. The below steps as mentioned above:

• 1. Site selection and climate analysis

• 2. Design development

• 3. Pandemic impact on Design Process

• 4. Project outcomes

2.1 Site Selection and Climate Analysis

The site is in Al tiwayyah, Alain. It is on a corner overviewing Tahnoon Bin Mohammed Alnahyan Road. The infrastructure is developed in that area. It is very accessible and surrounded by residential buildings, nurseries, schools, majlis, groceries, coffee shops, and more.

During most of the year, the chosen site has a hot and humid climate. The highest temperature attainable is around 48 °C, while the lowest is around 13 °C. December, January, and February are the coldest months of the year when the lowest temperatures are recorded (winter). While the maximum temperatures are reported during June, July, and August, which are the hottest months of the year (summer). There is a 13 mm difference in precipitation between the driest and wettest months. January is the month with the highest relative humidity (51.08%). The driest month of the year is may in terms of relative humidity (20.93%). March is the month with the largest number of rainy days (1.83 days). May is the month with the least number of rainy days. Wind speed and direction fluctuate more widely than hourly averages at any site due to local terrain and other factors, and instantaneous wind speed and direction vary more significantly than hourly averages. Over the year, the average hourly wind speed shows some seasonal variation. From January 17 to August 7, the windier half of the year lasts 6.7 months, with average wind speeds exceeding 7.5 miles per hour. The windiest day of the year is March 15, with an average hourly wind speed of 8.7 miles per hour, it is the windiest day of the year. From August 7 to January 17, the calmer time of year lasts 5.3 months. Having an average hourly wind speed of 6.3 miles per hour, November 1 is the calmest day of the year [1].

2.2 Design Development

The case study analysis was done to find the most appropriate architectural demands for the building in terms of function and movability to know what is necessary for our building. From design flexibility to comfort and privacy, the Medical center meets the visitor's basic needs and will be self-sufficient due to the lack of infrastructure on the site. The needs that the project must meet were confirmed by the earlier site analysis. As a result, the spaces required were identified to achieve the purpose of our project: Design a building that can provide visitors' basic demands. In addition, the medical center can be separated into three primary blocks: Block 1, Block 2, and the Emergency Block. To build and dismantle for future use. Figure 1 shows the initial plan designed; Fig. 2 shows the initial 3D of the project.

Fig. 1

Initial plan design

Fig. 2

Initial 3D design

2.3 Pandemic’s Impact on Design Process

The pandemic had an important impact on the design process of this graduate project. The main points of influence:

Social Sustainability: the spaces were re-designed based on the student and faculty experience with the pandemic. The female and male areas were separated considering the local culture of AL Ain City.

Environmental Sustainability: The facility is designed to be built and dismantled for future use with self-sustained electricity generated from the roof PV Panels. The pandemic initially was supposed to end in one year, but the pandemic has not ended officially yet (after almost 3 years). This impacted the environmentally conscious design.

Indoor thermal comfort: after a few of the students and faculty went through the hospitalization experience of COVID, it was clear that physical wellbeing relates to psychological wellbeing. Therefore, the students added a separate chapter dedicated to the improvement of indoor conditions. Not only the materials, lighting, air temperature, but also colors in interiors, green, adaptive views from the windows.

Time management: time management was crucial in managing the pandemic. Therefore, the project is designed to be assembled in 13 days.

Tools improvement: to design a very efficient building it is especially important to have efficient tools for fast and reliable calculations.

2.4 Project Outcomes

The project outcomes reflect the lessons learned during the pandemic period. The figures below show the several steps taken until reaching the results, which is the final project. Figure 3: Solar radiation analysis for PV application. Figure 4: Energy evaluation of the 3D model. This shows the impact on sustainability due to the extended stay of the pandemic. In future applications, the time might not be noticeably clear, therefore, having a sustainable temporary structure is crucial [8].

Fig. 3

Solar radiation analysis for PV application

Fig. 4

Energy evaluation of the 3D model

Figure 5: Footings of the columns. Figure 6: Footings and columns. Figure 7: Structural 3D. Figure 8: Structural 3D including the roof and slab. Figure 9: Structural 3D including the walls; Fig. 10: Final 3D of the project.

Fig. 5

Footings of the columns

Fig. 6

Footings and columns

Fig. 7

Structural 3D

Fig. 8

Structural 3D including the roof and slab

Fig. 9

Structural 3D including the walls

Fig. 10

Final 3D of the project

3 Results

The results are divided into three main points based on the above analysis. The students' experience through the pandemic impacted their approach toward the design of the graduation project. The selection of such a project related to fast medical response toward the virus was done based on the COVID-19’s impact on society. The students reflected their ideas in the design process and the outcomes are as follows:

Social Sustainability: In a pandemic situation, the attention to this point was minor. The organization of the spaces strictly as per the standards in addition to the local culture was achieved. The students clearly separated the primary areas such as reception, waiting areas, bathrooms, and room door orientation to fulfill this point.

Environmental Sustainability: Referring to the project shown above and the class hours, the students were more conscious of climate change. All the news in the media about how the environment is cleaner due to the slowdown of human and industrial activities made the students more thoughtful about applying elements of sustainability in their design, such as the full structure idea of assembly and disassembly. Furthermore, louvers were applied to the windows to reduce energy consumption and PV panels were added to the roof and parking lot to increase energy production.

Indoor thermal comfort: This was a point personally linked not only to the students, but also to the faculty experience while in treatment for COVID-19 first wave. The project was assessed by analyzing the physical and psychological aspects of the patients. Based on the standards, several strategies such as color selection, adding greenery, and improving the air conditioning system design were included to improve indoor thermal comfort.

Time management: This was considered by minimizing the construction period to 13 days (about 2 weeks). The speed of construction of such a facility was linked to the need for new medical facilities during the lockdown in the first wave of COVID-19. In these extreme health situations, a fast-functioning facility is crucial.

Tools improvement: there was an improvement by the students in using tools to design efficiently the building. During the pandemic, the students had more time to explore tools online and learn more about different tasks. The open online forums assisted them in real time with difficulties encountered.

4 Conclusions and Future Work

This research aims to show how the pandemic situation and the personal experience of students can impact designing a Medical Center. This center shall be moved and assembled in any site as required, also that can be dismantled later leaving the same condition of the site before assembly, the construction method should be easy and fast as the pandemic can occur at any time.

The learning process during the pandemic was proven to be complex and challenging in the initial stage. The outcomes of this study can help other researchers in applying these lessons in future projects. This kind of experience helps build more efficient projects to help society in extreme events such as COVID-19.

However, more work needs to be done in using more advanced tools to reflect the data received from the pandemic, a real time assessment. Advanced software such as Rhino/Grasshopper [5, 9].

A larger application of Artificial Intelligence into managing data and patients. Due to the pandemic, the students had difficulties communicating and assessing the tasks. There is space for investigating virtual reality in teamwork for graduate projects [2, 3].