![]() ![]() BMarko Structures, Dacula, Ga., fabricated two of these structures for hospitals in Georgia that had been hit hard with patients who had contracted the coronavirus. This is a computer rendering of what a hospital structure made of shipping containers looks like. GEMA told him they needed two hospitals fabricated in four weeks. When asked how fast he could build the containerized hospital, Kountouris said he replied eight weeks. Emergency officials had one coronavirus hot spot in Albany, Ga., at the time, where it was dealing with an outbreak that was overwhelming the local hospital and its 14 intensive care beds. The Georgia Emergency Management and Homeland Security Agency (GEMA) was the first to reach out to BMarko Structures about the hospital design. You have to build them up, but you don’t have to start from the ground up like you would with a steel or wood module,” Kountouris said. In a matter of days, he had designs for hospital setups comprising shipping containers. Kountouris reached out to a colleague who was a lead building designer for a major hotel brand, and he connected the two. ![]() He started getting calls from federal officials asking him about the possibility of quick construction of a hospital. It was no surprise then when Kountouris recognized that the shipping containers might be a good way to deliver much-needed medical space to communities seeing their hospitals overrun with COVID-19 cases. Over the years the container method of construction proved itself worthwhile as BMarko Structures delivered units used for tasks such as selling tickets and serving up concessions. walls that are 2 mm thick, the containers provided a solid option for a company looking for quick construction that could deliver on functionality. “It’s the way that everything should be built, with the exception of those things that can’t be built with modular construction, such as a hotel with a super-tall ceiling.”Īlthough BMarko Structures has divisions dedicated to metal and wood modular construction, Kountouris started his company working with shipping containers because they were plentiful, affordable, and useful. “With modular construction, you're able to do work in conjunction with your peers and your coatings while you're building the box for delivery to the site,” he said. To put it simply, you don’t have to battle Mother Nature when you are doing the construction indoors. This form of building, while currently representing a small percentage of the overall construction industry, is gaining popularity because of its ability to be completed much more quickly than typical on-site construction.Īntony Kountouris, CEO, BMarko Structures, started his company almost six years ago because he believed this type of construction would eventually dominate the industry. These modular units, designed and constructed to the same codes and standards as conventionally built structures, are delivered to a work site and assembled together. In this type of construction, sections of a building are constructed away from the work site and often in a controlled plant environment. Effeciency of Off-site ConstructionĪt the heart of these quick turnaround projects are modular construction units. COVID-19 crisis? It’s a pretty amazing tale as well. Would you believe something similar happened in the middle of the U.S. It sounded like an accomplishment that could occur only in a totalitarian state where the government can throw people and resources at a project without any public discussion or commentary. ![]() If you remember back to late January, you might recall a news report from Wuhan, China, about an emergency hospital being constructed in just 10 days to accommodate the surge of patients who had contracted the coronavirus. Welders played a large role in transforming the shipping containers into patient and auxiliary rooms for the temporary Georgia hospital structures. ![]()
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