Trans-Hospital: A Flexible Hospital System for Public Health

Trans-Hospital proposes a flexible and transformable hospital system designed to respond to both everyday healthcare needs and sudden public health emergencies. Triggered by the 2020 COVID-19 outbreak in Wuhan, the project rethinks conventional hospital models that struggle to adapt to rapid surges in medical demand.



Using central Wuhan as a prototype, the design develops a site-selection strategy based on hospital service radius, carrying capacity, and residential density. Medical units are distributed across densely populated areas underserved by existing hospitals, forming a decentralized urban healthcare network.



In non-epidemic periods, these units operate as community-based medical facilities that flexibly adapt to local demand. During epidemics, the units can be rapidly transported by helicopter to a central core, where they are reassembled into isolation and admission wards. A controlled circulation ring minimizes cross-infection while maintaining patient activity space.



The system integrates rehabilitative landscapes and a sustainable building envelope incorporating solar energy, rainwater collection, and adaptive environmental systems to enhance resilience and long-term performance.