Wuhan Hospital, China
Images of a timelapse were spread all over social media and news outlets in February 2020 as China built a new hospital facility in around 2 weeks 'from scratch'. News outlets reported that the facility has around a 1,000-bed capacity and was designed, procured and built-in this timescale.
It is more likely that the hospital facility is part of a larger state-run emergency action plan which has been sitting designed on a shelf especially for such an event after the last SARs virus outbreak in China.
Regardless if the modular unit construction or design is included in the timescale, it is still an amazing feat to build such a scale of off-site modular building in such a short space of time, and questions are now being asked about why this is not being implemented across the construction industry. The concept is not new, and the Egan Report and Latham report both attempted to resolve issues with wastage in the construction industry.
Further studies will no doubt be carried out on the back of these buildings construction timescales to see what lessons can be learned to improve construction timescales globally.
[edit] Related articles on Designing Buildings Wiki
- Cancer Centre at Guy's Hospital
- Conserving Ruchill Hospital water tower
- Fountaine Hospital Almshouse
- How a Complex Hospital Building for Orthopaedic Services was Constructed in Less Than Four Months
- How to Develop the Most Constrained Hospital Sites to Reduce Waiting Times and Improve Patient Care
- Khoo Teck Puat Hospital
- North Middlesex University Hospital Maternity Unit
- Researching the history of Fountaine Hospital Almshouse
- Sea Sand Tower Hospital Queen Elizabeth, Kota Kinabalu, Malaysia
Featured articles and news
Deputy editor of AT, Tim Fraser, discusses the newly formed society with its current chair, Chris Halligan MCIAT.
Barratt Lo-E passivhaus standard homes planned enmasse
With an initial 728 Lo-E homes across two sites and many more planned for the future.
Government urged to uphold Warm Homes commitment
ECA and industry bodies write to Government concerning its 13.2 billion Warm Homes manifesto commitment.
Places of Worship in Britain and Ireland, 1929-1990. Book review.
The emancipation of women in art.
CIOB Construction Manager of the Year 2025
Just one of the winners at the CIOB Awards 2025.
Call for independent National Grenfell oversight mechanism
MHCLG share findings of Building Safety Inquiry in letter to Secretary of State and Minister for Building Safety.
The Architectural Technology Awards
AT Awards now open for this the sixth decade of CIAT.
50th Golden anniversary ECA Edmundson awards
Deadline for submissions Friday 30 May 2025.
The benefits of precast, off-site foundation systems
Top ten benefits of this notable innovation.
Encouraging individuals to take action saving water at home, work, and in their communities.
Takes a community to support mental health and wellbeing
The why of becoming a Mental Health Instructor explained.
Mental health awareness week 13-18 May
The theme is communities, they can provide a sense of belonging, safety, support in hard times, and a sense purpose.
Mental health support on the rise but workers still struggling
CIOB Understanding Mental Health in the Built Environment 2025 shows.
Design and construction material libraries
Material, sample, product or detail libraries a key component of any architectural design practice.
Construction Products Reform Green Paper and Consultation
Still time to respond as consultation closes on 21 May 2025.
Resilient façade systems for smog reduction in Shanghai
A technical approach using computer simulation and analysis of solar radiation, wind patterns, and ventilation.