Post-industrial waste to a medium for universal affordable healthcare.
Proverb ‘Necessity is the mother of invention’ suits perfectly for AAP Delhi Govt. When BJP led Central Govt tried all its underhanded tactics to stop allocation of land for Mohalla Clinics, Arvind Kejriwal Govt partnered with Design firm Architecture Discipline to build Mohalla clinics with upcycled shipping containers, for the Government’s Aam Aadmi Mohalla Clinics programme.
The Shipping Container Mohalla Clinics bring affordable medical services to vulnerable communities in an optimistic and high-quality environment.
There was considerable risk involved, BJP always tries to find fault lines and pounce at any given opportunity, but Satyendar Jain, the then Health and PWD Minister also an architect himself was strong willed, his tough calls and judgement has helped the Government overcome multiple obstacles in developing Infrastructure, HealthCare innovations like this New Model, finding solutions for scarcity of drinking water and cleaning Yamuna by 2025.
This New Model was certainly a bit costlier than Portacabin Model of Mohalla Clinics. But Ship containers gave an extra layer of ‘Steel’ Security, against miscreants (who were strangely never caught by ‘BJP’ controlled Delhi Police) after they had vandalised the clinic by breaking open the Portacabin door and caused destruction in multiple Mohalla Clinics.
This particular design was developed on a pro bono basis for the Delhi Government’s Aam Aadmi Mohalla Clinics program. In the first phase, 20 units will be deployed in various urban settlements in Delhi, which will scale up to 500 units in upcoming phases.
Such pre-fab structures have shorter construction time, which is significantly less than half of the time taken by conventional cast-in-situ constructions, and are effective in reducing construction waste and Air Pollution involved with regular building construction.
The containers salvaged in Delhi and Haryana, Two 20-foot-long containers are joined together to form a single clinic that includes an examination room, a reception and waiting area, a pharmacy accessible from the outside, and a washroom.
Their compact size allows them to be easily transported to various locations and to be installed with minimal on-site construction. Area occupied by the entire structure is 500 sq ft./50 sq.m.
The clinic is fully equipped to support routine health checks, testing, and medicine purchasing. Design capitalizes on the structural strength of a discarded shipping container, and works with it as a module, reducing the need for costly modifications or custom-built additions.
The interiors are pre-installed with electrical fixtures, air conditioning, insulated walls and furniture. Anti-microbial vinyl flooring and medical-grade stainless steel countertops are also designed for easy maintenance. The air-conditioning system filters out pollutants, and server rack power strips and 200L water tanks are installed to ensure a seamless system. They are thermally insulated and lined with volatile organic compound-free birchwood for protection from external heat.
The clinics can be deployed rapidly, taking around 15 days for completion depending on the time taken for container procurement, site identification, and logistics. With complete prefabrication, this duration can even be brought down to 2-3 days. The quick construction of the prototype allows it to be deployed virtually anywhere, with the possibility of airlifting the units to emergency situations like disaster-struck regions or war zones. It surely is an option to keep them in stock for emergency needs aswell.
Akshat Bhatt, Principal Architect at Architecture Discipline says, “We approached the Government of Delhi with this proposal. The idea was accepted as part of the government’s Mohalla Clinics Programme”
Newer Model
Apart from the standard clinic model that’s established, a newer variation will also offer a reading room with a digital library on the upper level, providing a quiet space for study in dense settlements where such facilities are limited.
The aesthetic look of the new Model Clinic has certainly garnered attention from across the Globe, Leading Architectural Magazines have exhibited the new environmental friendly innovation.
Containers are fixed upon small concrete pile footings to minimize Mohalla’s impact on the earth. So far, two Mohalla Clinics are open in urban settlements in Delhi, the good news is the firm has also revealed in an International Architectural Magazine that they will soon deploying many more such units across Punjab (where AAP has formed its Second Government).
Additionally, they are also in talks with Nepalese and Australian governments to expand the concept.” Also the ‘Mohalla Clinics’ Design was displayed in Lisbon triennale exhibition in Portugal and was awarded “Innovation in Design Award” by Fast Company.
Upcoming G20 Event in second week of September will bring the best minds of the world to the Capital City of Delhi, and the AAP Govt is surely ready with near completion of aesthetic street scraping projects, Modern Mohalla Clinics, Newly Constructed Schools of Specialised Excellence and a Large Electric Bus fleet – all of whom are targeting the most underprivileged in the society.
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Images provided by author.