These Emergency Quarantine Facilities Only Take Around 5 Days to Build

Architects and designers have been continuously stepping up during these unprecedented times, using their skills and resources to build sanitation tents, quarantine centers, and more to aid in the country’s fight against COVID-19. One of them is Arch. William Ti of WTA Architecture + Design Studio.

“There was really something about this virus that hit our ideas as architects quite hard,” he said in an April 2 Facebook post. “So being able to make any bit of difference in this fight and seeing how our community of architects have come together is a soothing balm that renews my hope for a more open and connected society.”

The goal is to build 60 to 65 emergency quarantine facilities and 1,000 beds to help lighten the load hospitals and healthcare centers.

“It came out of a friendly discussion between me and a childhood friend of mine, Dr. Glenn Angeles, about how we can help flatten the curve given the resources that we have as a country,” Arch. William said in an online interview with Real Living. “The next day we got in touch with two of his AIM classmates Maj. Carmelo Jaluague and Maj. Banjo Badayos. We then proceeded to do the drawings and had the thing running in two days.”

As these are much-needed emergency facilities, Arch. William and the team had to work fast.

“The main idea was speed and scalability. How can we build this across the country quickly and simultaneously? The idea [was] that we use wood and plastic. Materials which are readily available and which most people are familiar with and have a lot of flexibility and are more forgiving were a must.

“You don’t need much to build each facility. Just 20 people. Simple tools and wood and plastic.”

Each facility has three main areas. “The front end contains the nurse station with a donning and wash area for the nurse as well as a separate entrance for patients. The middle part contains 16 partitioned cubicles for patients while the back end contains a doffing area with a shower and the separate shower and two toilets for the patients.”

It only takes around five days to build each facility. As of April 25, the team has already created 678 beds.

To continue building these facilities, donations are needed. Here's how you can help:

You can donate online at bit.ly/eqfacility.  For cash donations, you can deposit them through BPO Unibank:

Account Name: Anthology Festival Organization Manila Inc.

Account Number: 004658012036

Bank Name: BDO Unibank

Bank Address: Unit 102-103 Sunrise Cond., Ortigas Ave, San Juan

For documentation, email your deposit or bank transfer slip to [email protected].

You can also check out WTA Architecture + Design Studio efforts via their website: www.wtadesignstudio/EQF.