The eVolo 2020 Skyscraper Competition's top honor goes to Epidemic Babel, a visionary Chinese design addressing the SARS-CoV-2 crisis and future outbreaks with swift healthcare deployment.
In late April 2020, the eVolo 2020 Skyscraper Competition crowned winners: Chinese architects D. Lee, Gavin Shen, Weiyuan Xu, and Xinhao Yuan for Epidemic Babel—a rapidly deployable hospital skyscraper born from the COVID-19 pandemic, which by then had surpassed 80 million cases and 1.8 million deaths worldwide.
COVID-19 exposed vulnerabilities in even advanced health systems, spreading too fast for optimal response. Epidemic Babel counters this with a steel framework where prefabricated modules attach automatically on demand, avoiding site clutter and enabling quick scaling.
Architects outline a streamlined build: a team assembles the steel frame and selects modules in just five days. During outbreaks, authorities can erect it rapidly, preventing hospital overload and saving lives.
Factory-built modules are lightweight and easily transportable to remote areas. Compared to China's temporary hospitals, Epidemic Babel promises faster construction and lower costs.
By late March 2020, China leveraged tech like Winsun's 3D-printed 200 quarantine units (10 m² each), earthquake- and weather-resistant, to ease hospital strain—much like Epidemic Babel's proactive approach.
