perkins and will & schmidt hammer lassen retrofit school bus into COVID-19 mobile lab

new york-based studio perkins and will and denmark studio schmidt hammer lassen — in partnership with arup — propose the COVID-19 mobile lab, a scalable solution to increase COVID-19 testing capacity within high-density and under-served neighborhoods. the project’s plan is to retrofit out-of-use school buses into mobile testing labs — a scalable, quick, inexpensive and easily replicated scheme.

images courtesy of perkins and will

the COVID-19 pandemic has impacted low-income and homeless population disproportionately. ‘while no one is immune to the COVID-19 virus, testing and treatment is not a level playing field. it is the under-served communities, including lower-income and homeless populations, that need our urgent help at this time,’ says mariana giraldo, architect and strategic planning specialist in perkins and will’s new york studio. ‘we wanted to harness the expertise of our interdisciplinary team to help those in need during the crisis. we believe the mobile testing lab is a scalable and accessible solution to close the gap on testing in our home, new york city, and across the world.’

for the COVID-19 mobile lab, the team highlighted seven key parameters that guided the design: equitability, mobility, accessibility, speed, flexibility, ease of implementation, and scalability. the transformation of a school bus into a testing facility met the team’s criteria, offering a solution that can be adopted anywhere in the world. the layout of the bus was informed by the newly-approved abbott ID NOW COVID-19 test, allowing vulnerable populations to be tested and receive their results instantly.

‘we aim to bring together intuitive technology and service design into a unique mobile care space,’ says arup’s director of digital experience design paul mcconnell. ‘through rapid prototyping we can better learn and refine how we get people through the process and give communities the confidence to return to normal.’

project info:

name: COVID-19 mobile lab

designed by: perkins and will, schmidt hammer lassen 

in partnership with: arup