Modular Interim Health Center
St. Croix, USVI
The Challenge
Category 5 Hurricane Maria devastated the US Virgin Islands in September of 2017. After the storm, the Charles Harwood Hospital on St. Croix was condemned. FEMA requested help from the USACE to solicit a turn key solution to the immediate need for a health care facility. Modular Genius responded by evaluating the program requirements and generating floor plans for each division of the complex. Because there was not an adequate water source for a sprinkler system, Modular Genius separated the medical divisions into separate buildings while maintaining the required distance between the structures to eliminate the sprinkler requirement. The buildings are connected by a walkway to connect the entire facility. The complex consists of 66 modules that total 40,000 square feet.
The Solution
While this facility is considered temporary, there has been no progress on the design of the permanent hospital. Therefore the “temporary” modular complex will serve its purpose for the foreseeable future utilizing standard, readily available materials. This economical solution will allow the Department of Health to meet all of their obligations to the public while the permanent facility is constructed. As the buildings were constructed they were shipped in the order that the site could accommodate so that and each unit was installed immediately upon arrival. The buildings rolled off the vessel, were cleared, trucked to site and immediately placed. This coordination eliminated a staging area requirement and accelerated the installation. Less time on site installing the buildings greatly reduced the overall project cost..
