Project Heroe

While many have focused on how to mitigate the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) by planning measures to flatten the curve, reduce the spread of infection, and manage scarce resources, the USC/HLW-led team that created Project Héroe has taken a much more proactive approach. The team has designed a modular, state of the art, healthcare facility that can be quickly deployed at a potential epicenter to prevent a serious outbreak before it can build momentum and become a pandemic.

Designed around modular shipping containers that can be quickly deployed in environments ranging from inner cities to the rural countryside, the Project Héroe facility includes patient rooms and treatment spaces, staff housing, intake and triage, and support spaces. As a self-contained facility staffed by skilled epidemiologists, clinicians, and care-team members, Project Héroe can quickly intake, triage, and treat an infected population, reducing the spread of contagion and the subsequent significant loss of life and economic downturn of previous pandemics.

Led by the USC School of Architecture, the Keck School of Medicine of USC, and internationally-recognized architecture firm HLW, the Project Héroe team includes advisors from all aspects of medicine and the built environment. Vantage is the team’s technology and workflow advisor providing technology-focused consultation, ideas, and feedback to the project.

The Vantage team played several roles for Project Héroe. We provided visioning and future thinking surrounding clinical, information and low voltage technologies that could be deployed to support the mission. We participated in design workshops with the students working on the project to encourage ‘out of the box’ thinking and provide immediate feedback on ideas. We authored several of the technology sections of the report and provided additional backup and supporting information to the team.