Adaptable People Doing Flexible Design

If there’s one thing humans are known for, it’s the ability to adapt.

 

Since the surge of COVID-19 in March, millions of lives have been entirely uprooted. Between lockdowns and unemployment, people have been finding creative ways to help each other in any way they can.

 

See how two Vectorworks users Heinle, Wischer und Partner and Eventions Productions have taken the challenges of the pandemic and used their skills to help their communities.

 

Heinle, Wischer und Partner – Corona Treatment Centre, Berlin

Many hospitals are being pushed to capacity as they are flooded with COVID-19 patients. This mysterious and deadly disease has strained health systems worldwide, demanding more from healthcare workers and hospitals than ever before. So, when the decision was made to build a corona treatment center in the one of the exhibition halls of Berlin Trade Fair, Heinle, Wischer und Partner rose to the occasion. According to ArchDaily, in just a matter of weeks, a reserve hospital with nearly 500 beds was designed and built to accommodate COVID-19 patients should there be another spike in cases.

Berlin Trade Fair bed layout by Heinle, Wischer und Partner

Berlin Trade Fair bed layout, courtesy of Heinle, Wischer und Partner.

 

The layout of this center is based on modular clusters created with a need for flexibility in mind. This flexibility was achieved by employing techniques often used in trade show and event areas. As such, oxygen lines and electrical supply are provided over the traverses above each bed space. Since every bed place is equipped with an oxygen access and mobile medical technology is used, the supply for the patient can be adapted to his current condition and needs. This means the medical staff is not bound by fixed supply capacities, but can react individually.

 

Vectorworks Architect was a key component in designing for the space. Heinle, Wischer und Partner was able to draw the floor plans, the site plans, and provide visuals using Vectorworks’ all-in-one design software. These visuals allowed the firm to communicate their ideas with the project participants and the public. Further, in an environment that demands a rapid pace, Heinle, Wischer und Partner knew Vectorworks could handle the workload.

 

Today, though cases dwindle in Germany, the exhibition halls of Berlin Trade Fair sit ready for the future and, should they not be needed, more than 90% of the materials used can be either reused or recycled. This includes the medical equipment that can be reused by hospitals as well as the exhibition walls and cross beams which are only rented.

 

Eventions Productions – Virtual Graduations

 

Graduation is a time to celebrate a scholar’s accomplishments, so to watch a global pandemic sweep through and steal that away from the Class of 2020 has been devastating. Schools are scrambling to make the right choices about their ceremonies, asking whether to wait things out and try to have an in-person ceremony or to maintain a predetermined date and go virtual.

 

For those choosing the former, many are still waiting for national and state-wide lockdowns to ease enough to allow large gatherings. On the other hand, many schools are unsure of just how to approach a virtual graduation.

 

That’s where Eventions Productions comes in. Normally hired to produce high-end social events, Eventions has changed direction to provide for schools in need of virtual ceremonies. Brian Toner, president of Eventions Productions, says he was inspired by his wife, a high school administrator in Pennsylvania responsible for planning her school’s graduation. He says she turned to him for ideas.

 

Ever the problem solver, Brian Toner sat down with his Event Producer, Mike Schisler, to find a way to produce the high-quality events the Class of 2020 deserves at a price that their schools can afford.

“No one ever had a virtual graduation before, so we couldn't show anyone pictures of our past work of doing this” Brian Toner mentions. As a result, the pair created example renderings to advertise their service and developed a strategy to ensure compliance with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) sanitization instructions.

Behind the scenes of a virtual high school graduation by Eventions Productions

Behind the scenes of a virtual high school graduation, courtesy of Eventions Productions.

 

Yet, for all their planning, Eventions was eventually called upon for their flexibility as well as their expertise.

 

“As we've talked to all these schools, they all want it a different way,” Brian Toner says. “Some were doing one where they [the administration] had to be at their school, so then we took [our] idea and moved it to their school as a one off. We have another one who wants it at their school and wants the graduates there.”

 

Thus, Eventions will spend much of their summer working with local schools to provide the best possible graduation for each local school, designing, and customizing with Vectorworks Spotlight to ensure their graduates have a memorable experience.

 

We Keep Moving Forward

 

We’re celebrating our users, who are using their creativity and skills to make a difference during such a tumultuous time.

If you’d like to share how you’ve continued working to help others during the pandemic, share your story on social media and use the hashtag, #MadeWithVectorworks.

See More Resources for Customers during COVID-19

Topics: News & Events

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