United States: Designing a disaster-proof hospital

By Diana Budds

Hurricane Katrina laid bare the structural deficiencies and vulnerabilities of medical centers. In the New Orleans area, 7 of 16 hospitals with acute care centers remained closed two years after the storm. Architects tasked with rebuilding the facilities were posed with a critical challenge: rebuild the hospitals so that in the event of a similar, or even stronger, storm, the buildings remain fully functional and self-sufficient for days on end.

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The new hospital is considered a "mission-critical facility" by the VA, meaning that it needs to survive and stay operational in nearly any type of disaster: natural, like a hurricane or earthquake, or man-made, like a blast. Structurally, the perimeter can withstand category three storms and the walls are hardened to resist blasts, ballistic assaults, and ramming. Moreover, the building's bones are designed to guard against progressive collapse—meaning that if one part of the building is destroyed, it won't cause a domino effect and lead to a full collapse.