"People with COVID symptoms had nowhere to go … we had 21 days to reactivate the building"

Dan Hurley is WSP’s principal-in-charge for the renovation of the Newton Pavilion, an unused hospital building in Boston, US. Fernand Tomaz is project manager, leading the mechanical and electrical engineering design. In February 2020, COVID-19 interrupted a project to reopen it as a state hospital. The City of Boston and the State of Massachusetts ordered its conversion into a 300-bed field hospital for treatment and isolation of the city’s homeless – to be ready in just 21 days’ time.

Dan: We had just finished schematic design when COVID hit and Massachusetts became a hotspot.

People without insurance with COVID-19 symptoms and the homeless had nowhere to go for testing, treatment or for isolation during recovery. The authorities decided to resurrect the Newton Pavilion as a field hospital, but the place had been unoccupied for close to two years. We were part of the team involved in transforming it into the Massachusetts State Hospital, serving the local population and homeless people.

Fernand: We had 21 days to reactivate the building systems for emergency temporary occupancy.

Once the spaces capable of accommodating beds for treatment and isolation had been identified, our WSP team evaluated what work was needed to fix the dormant MEP and fire protection infrastructure.

We left no stone unturned – or un-sanitized – before the building was declared operational. A critical consideration was determining which of the existing air handling units could be reused to ensure air was cleaned and secured for patients and medical staff. We realigned the overall pressure differentials between occupied and unoccupied spaces by adjusting air-handling units and exhaust fans. New parts and filters were installed, tested and balanced for air distribution and exhaust fans providing 100% fresh air in all occupied stations. We installed control software and appointed a qualified operator to ensure the functioning and maintenance of the system. We also confirmed that the steam-heating distribution was fully operational, checked valves at converter units and tested the chillers and pumps, making repairs where necessary. Water pipes, sprinkler systems, emergency lights, fire alarms, plumbing systems, sump pumps and IT networks were among the systems that were installed, cleaned, tested and approved.

This was early days for COVID and we didn’t know as much about the virus as we do now. Minimizing potential exposure was a top priority.

Dan Hurley Senior Vice President, WSP in the USA

Fernand: The COVID experience has stimulated a rethink on how we can design facilities, and COVID-mitigation will be an integral part of the project.

We are in the process of including some infection control measures in the base design that would be activated when and if we are in a pandemic mode. These include increasing outside air, air changes and filtration, part of a holistic approach to making the hospital COVID-secure, alongside such measures as hygiene, PPE and social distancing. In this, we are very fortunate to be able to draw on the expertise of our colleagues within WSP who are leading authorities not only in helping hospitals across the US convert spaces into COVID treatment wards, but also in the provision of infectious disease facilities.

Dan: Apart from the technical learnings, the greatest experience coming out of this project was the commitment of all our teams to making it happen.

We were really concerned for the safety of our staff. This was early days for COVID and we didn’t know as much about the virus as we do now. Minimizing potential exposure was a top priority. All staff working on site wore the necessary protective equipment and were fully educated on WSP safety protocols. Everyone knew what they needed to do. Most of all, there was this determination: this was a vital field hospital, and if it did not happen, people wouldn’t receive the care they needed.

At this moment, the City of Boston is considering reopening a portion of the building as the pandemic takes hold again in the second spike. This time around, with all the systems installed and ready to go, the building can be reopened immediately to provide a safe and secure place for the homeless this winter.

Sunday, March 14, 2021
Reading Time : 4 Minutes