Converting shipping containers into ICU pods
CURA is an open-source project aimed at converting shipping containers into intensive-care units to support hospitals during the COVID-19 pandemic. Just four weeks after its launch, the first CURA pod was installed at a temporary hospital in Turin, Italy with the sponsorship of UniCredit. The initiative was selected as the Architecture for Good Jury Winner at the 2020 Architizer + Awards. It was described by the jury as "a highly relevant endeavour due to its objective to address the pressing crisis of COVID19."
Initiated by Carlo Ratti Associati, the international task-force brought together designers, engineers, medical professionals, and military experts. Squint/Opera joined as digital media partners to help communicate the collective mission and purpose of CURA: connecting with new collaborators and realising the first prototype.
The system, whose name stands for Connected Units for Respiratory Ailments (and also “cure” in Latin) uses repurposed shipping containers to create plug-in biocontainment pods. These pods can be quickly deployed in cities around the world, promptly responding to the spread of the disease and shortage of ICU space in hospitals.
Photo credit: Max Tomasinelli