Startup creates a COVID care facility in 24 hours

MediCAB, a pilot project of an IIT-Madras-incubated startup, Modulus Housing has set up a 15-bed hospital in Wayanad, Kerala for treatment of Covid-19 patients. It was built within a day and will provide safe, durable, and affordable health facilities to treat Covid-19 patients.

Sree Chitra Tirunal Institute for Medical Sciences and Technology (SCTIMST) provided the inputs on certifications and customizations necessary for the project.

Normally, MediCABs are designed to have four zones. The first one will house rooms for doctors and nurses, zone two for screening patients, zone three for isolation wards and the fourth one will be the intensive care units. However, the facility at Wayanad has just a single zone comprising a medical ward. The ward is maintained at a negative pressure with its own exhaust system.

MediCABs uses customizable materials that can be installed by four people in two hours. It comes with in-built electricals and can be easily transported.

Modulus Housing is based in Chennai and develops foldable, portable homes. Post the COVID-19 pandemic, it came up with MediCAB by applying the technology to build instant healthcare infrastructure solutions.

The project is being developed with grant funds from Habitat for Humanity’s Terwilliger Center for Innovation in Shelter.

A B.Arch from MIDAS will help you learn more about the emerging trends that will define the buildings of the future.

Tips to help students prevent home cyberattacks

Learning online from home has become the new norm for many students, as social distancing is implemented across the country to slow the rapidly spreading COVID-19 pandemic. Connected devices are being used virtually nonstop, as students throng the virtual media for e-learning opportunities. Unfortunately, most residential computing networks aren't regularly maintained and monitored to protect against security breaches. This presents hackers with a virtual playground of which to take advantage.

Following are five tips to protect your home network - and the devices connected to it - from hackers.

1. Power down your devices. This disables the internet connection, cutting off access to any personal information stored on your computer, tablet, or phone. Unattended machines are easy targets for hackers, especially if you're asleep.

2. Secure your wireless network. Information accessed on an open network, including email passwords and sensitive bank information, is fair game for hackers. Protect your Wi-Fi network with a strong password that's difficult to guess. Wireless routers that are issued by cable providers are typically assigned a network name and password that's easily located on a label on the device itself. These can be changed using your online account, so do this as soon as possible for added security.

3. Invest in anti-malware software. Malicious software can be installed on your computer without your knowledge so hackers can damage your system, steal personal information, or restrict your access to extort money from you. Anti-malware software helps protect against, detect and remove malware, stopping cybercriminals from doing further damage. Also, avoid downloading music or video files from suspicious websites, and clicking on links or email attachments in messages sent from unknown senders to help prevent malware from infiltrating your system.

4. Install the recommended updates. Smartphones, computers, tablets, and smart TV manufacturers, among other providers of connected devices, offer periodic software updates to protect against potential security breaches. Chances are if an update is recommended, hackers have already discovered a way to access your personal property and information, so keep your software up to date. Set your devices to install auto-updates when possible.

5. Beware of phishing scams. Phishing scams aren't new, but hackers continually use more sophisticated email - and even text messages - to trick people into providing their personal information. Once again, do not click on the links or attachments in messages from unknown senders.

Be your own boss! Thinking about practising architecture on your own?

Considering the economic challenges the world is faced with today it could be an excellent time to start practicing architecture on your own.

Recent furloughs and layoffs caused by the struggling economy and the social distancing necessitated by COVID-19 make that particularly true. But statistics show the number of those who are practicing on their own or starting their own firms has been growing over the past decade, partly because people enjoy the flexibility, control, and better work-life balance that can come with the role.

Here are some notable advantages

Control over your schedule

Practicing on your own empowers you with much more control over your workload and when you choose to complete it. Not only can you accept or decline assignments based on your availability and preferences, but in many cases, you can finish them during the hours most convenient to you.

Relaxed work environments

As your own boss, you establish your own workspace, rules, dress code, and core values. Having that kind of flexibility in this uncertain world can be a huge boon to your health, comfort, and sense of individuality.

Job satisfaction

Those who practice on their own often see their work as more rewarding than others. The primary reasons for that added satisfaction are the freedom to work from home, the flexibility of the work schedules, and the interesting nature of their work, says a recent survey.

Healthy paychecks

Because they can control their own pricing, profit margins, and productivity, many earn more working for themselves than for others.

A #BArch from #MIDAS will help you learn the skills that will set you apart from your peers across the globe. We combine architecture & technology to give you an innovative, imaginative & unique perspective that enables you to work on your own. Visit us at bit.ly/MIDAS_Admissions to know more.

Make the most of this lockdown by taking up an online program

The lockdown has opened the flexibility to learn online and add muscle to your regular degree. While online education provides students with a range of opportunities, it also can present challenges of learning in a new environment. Here are some tips to ensure your success.

Set yourself up for success

Before starting an online learning program, plan ahead. Give yourself space and time to study, as well as technology tools to do your best. If you are interested in taking up a career as an architect, join a coaching program to ace NATA. Visit websites of prominent architecture colleges like MIDAS and get useful insights from their YouTube pages.

Give yourself space

A quiet workplace without any interruption from family members is necessary for success in an online program. If your space isn't completely quiet, noise-canceling headphones can help you focus.

Check your tech

Always use a desktop or laptop for all your studies, as a tablet or phone may not be the best tool for most tasks. Familiarize yourself with the learning platform and keep information about tech support handy. Ensure that you have multiple browsers (such as Chrome or Firefox) available, as one might work better for some programs than others.

Organize your time

Time management is key to learning online, as you must take the initiative and be accountable for your own work.

Communicate

Stay connected to your instructors. Take advantage of opportunities to collaborate, share insights, and ask questions. Email instructors or use class discussion boards to ask questions or offer comments. Instructors like seeing student engagement and participating will improve your overall experience.

Be persistent

When things get challenging, remember the reasons why you're pursuing your education. Post verbal or visual reminders near your workspace to keep your goals top of mind.

To learn about the B.Arch from MIDAS, visit bit.ly/MIDAS_Admissions. 

Career opportunities for young architects

A B.Arch from MIDAS will help you to develop a fine range of creative, visual, practical, and design-based skills to offer employers. Although most architecture graduates will be looking to becoming architects to practice professionally, there are plenty of other options for you to consider.

The most obvious architecture career, as an architect is to design new buildings or complete extensions or alterations to existing ones, ensuring that they are safe, cost-effective, and functional.

Architectural technologists use engineering skills to create tough, resilient, and sustainable constructions and refurbishments. Using both computer-aided design and other drawing techniques, Architectural Technologists prepare and present design proposals and advise clients on technical matters.

Interior designers design or renovate internal spaces, fixtures, and fittings. With their architectural, creative design, and project management skills they ensure that spaces are both attractive and efficient.

Building surveyors deal with conserving, modifying, fixing, renovating, and restoring existing buildings. They are also involved with taking precautionary measures to keep buildings in good condition, as well as to make them more sustainable.

Town planners manage and develop the countryside, towns, cities, and villages. Working on behalf of everyone in the area and alongside other professionals they balance the needs of the local environment, population and economy and think of innovative, sustainable solutions for developments.

Production designers work closely with film producers and directors to develop a complete visual outline for the products they’re working on. Some production designers are entirely focused on theater and stage design.

Historic buildings inspectors work to promote the conservation of the historic buildings and help to protect them. They visit historic sites to inspect and survey them, advise on the best preservation methods, and take part in regeneration projects to benefit the community, economy, or environment.

Structural engineers are responsible for choosing the right materials to meet design specifications. They also examine existing buildings to ensure that they are structurally secure and up to standard.  

The B.Arch from MIDAS helps students to gain practical experience and develop key employability skills including critical, creative and strategic thinking, teamwork and ethical practice. Visit us at bit.ly/MIDAS_Admissions to know more.

The COVID-19 Pandemic is changing the Architectural Environment

The rapid spread of COVID-19 has caused architects to reevaluate their work, and what it might mean to design for a world that will never be quite the same, especially when it comes to how we gather in and use large public spaces, like parks, airports, hotels, hospitals, gyms, and offices.

But while the particular lessons of COVID-19 are still very much in the initial stages, a few ideas have already emerged.

Park for Social Distancing

Keeping our distance is crucial right now. However, getting fresh air and exercise is equally important to our overall well being. Because of this, landscape designers are dreaming up creative spaces we can all use safely in the future.

Studio Precht, a design house in Austria, has created a wholly new idea “Parc de la Distance." The park is designed as a geometric maze that closes in on the center of a circle. Each one is lined with massive shrubs to resemble a human fingerprint. Every lane has a gateway on the entrance and exit, which indicates if the path is occupied or free to stroll. The lanes are distanced 240 cm from each other and have a 90 cm wide hedge as a division.

Automated public spaces

Almost everyone predicts that public spaces will move toward more automation to mitigate contagion. Development of all types of touch-less technology—automatic doors, voice-activated elevators, cellphone-controlled hotel room entry, hands-free light switches, and temperature controls, automated luggage bag tags, and advanced airport check-in and security, will speed up. 

Advanced healthcare facilities

The biggest thing to come to light during this is the inability of hospitals to accommodate the number of sick people. So from a design perspective, we might see an ability to make a normal patient room more flexible to increase capacity or be easily converted into an ICU.

Architects have already started work to eliminate the traditional waiting area by creating alternative waiting nooks scattered around the building. This lets patients be somewhere else in the building—the library or somewhere —instead of sitting around on the same floor with other ill people.

The B.Arch from MIDAS is designed to create innovative architectural solutions to address the needs of the future. Know more at bit.ly/MIDAS_Admissions.  

Architecture community chips in to help combat COVID-19 pandemic

As the COVID-19 pandemic expands globally, architects are leveraging their technologies, facilities, and research skills to aid in the fight against the pandemic.

Jupe Health, a humanitarian startup, has developed a new type of shippable hospital room that can be quickly distributed to crisis zones amidst the COVID-19 pandemic. The units are enclosed by a faceted exterior in soft-top or hardcovers and are either solar or battery-powered and fitted with water-disposal.

Humanitas Healthcare and the World Economic Forum, is developing Connected Units for Respiratory Ailments (CURA). It is an open-source, design and build initiative that converts shipping containers as biocontainment pods. 

SheltAir, a domed bio-containment pod erected using inflatable cushions could help coronavirus patients isolate. The pods consist of a grid shell of plastic rods, which is assembled flat and pushed up through a pneumatic formwork of inflatables. 

STAAT Mod (Strategic, Temporary, Acuity-Adaptable Treatment), a prefabricated modular solution that can be deployed anywhere, will provide hospital-level care to patients suffering from COVID-19. They can be deployed in diverse environments from convention centers to free-standing hospital expansions.