US Corps of Engineers convert Miami Beach Convention Center

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The US Army Corps of Engineers has converted the Miami Beach Convention Center into a 450-bed treatment facility.

This would help avoid a medical system collapse during the coronavirus (Covid -19) pandemic.

Initially scheduled to host NFL Experience and Super Bowl LIV, the convention centre is currently a part of the federal, state, county and local government response to build hospital beds to combat the pandemic.

The move comes after the Federal Emergency Management Agency issued the mission for the conversion. The work was awarded to Robins and Morton Group by the District contract officers.

Following the approvals, construction on the site commenced the next day.

The Corps of Engineers Jacksonville District commander Army Colonel Andrew Kelly said: “The initial requirements were not even completely ready. We often use the analogy of building an airplane while we fly it a lot, but it was really true in this case.

“We were making multiple changes to the plan every day for the first week of construction. Crews were working 24 hours a day, so we would make a decision to change something and the contractor was executing it immediately.”

The 246,000ft² of open space was transformed into a treatment facility with the equipment required to treat Covid-19 patients.

The conversion includes an on-site pharmacy and laboratory, dedicated to nursing stations, medical command centre.

It also included administrative spaces, two cafeterias, ambulance staging area, isolated patient intake and miles of copper tubing, electrical cables and CAT 6 data transfer cables to support 24/7 medical operations.

The facility was delivered to the Florida Division of Emergency Management.

The project had national support from the Corps of Engineers on supply chains, enough funding, a partnership with the local government and a dedicated team on the ground working with the contractor.