Transforming Shipping Containers into Primary Care Health Clinics

Abstract

The present project consists in the design of a primary health clinic inside intermodal shipping containers. In recent years the frequency of natural disasters has increased, while man-made conflicts continue to afflict many parts of the globe. As a result, societies and countries are often left without access to basic medical assistance. Standardised and ready-to-deploy mobile clinics could play an important role in bringing such assistance to those who need it all over the world. This project promotes the adaptation of the structure of shipping containers to house a primary healthcare center through a multidisciplinary approach. Ranging from the study of containers and the potential environments where a mobile clinic could be of use to the design of all the manuals needed for the correct deployment, operation and maintenance of a mobile healthcare center inside a shipping container, this project intends to combine with knowledge from many sources to develop a product of great human, social and ecological value.