Construction Firm Develops Mobile Coronavirus Testing Centers

By Lauren White, RCS Reporter.

Portable virus testing centers help businesses create safer work environments amidst a pandemic.

In Minnesota, PCL Construction partnered with health care experts, designers and engineers to build Portable Virus Testing Centers (PVTCs).  These test centers allow health professionals to conduct tests for COVID-19 on employees and customers away from the business establishment. Normally making modular units for the gas and oil industries, PCL has switched gears to focus their efforts on what they can do to help with the current coronavirus pandemic.

PCL Construction is developing both walk-up and drive-thru test centers.  The PVTCs are designed for end users such as large manufacturing facilities, office towers and retail centers.  These mobile testing centers can be set up in parking lots outside of the businesses, allowing medical professionals to conduct tests at a safe distance from the business itself.

“Imagine you are trying to put the first line of defense in the parking lot versus having that be inside your building,” Sean Scott, special projects manager at PCL’s Minneapolis office said in his interview with DJC Oregon.  “Once it’s inside the building, things can come to a screeching halt if there’s a confirmed positive or suspected positive.”

The goal of this initiative is to build confidence among the workforce and businesses during these unprecedented times.  “It is a significant concern of businesses to have reliable screening technology and have a system that is on-site, separate from the building,” shared Doug Loon, the president of the Minnesota Chamber of Commerce.  “Anything we can do to restore confidence among businesses, workers and consumers, the quicker we will respond to this economic downturn and return to full productivity and full employment.”

A national team of industry leaders, partners, local businesses and the Minnesota Chamber of Commerce have assisted in the development of these mobile testing centers.  “PCL is extremely proud to be working with such great minds to develop a product that provides safe and accessible screening for businesses and their employees when we all come back to work,” Ben Reinhardsen, the manager of PCL’s special projects division told DJC Oregon.

The PVTCs are retrofitted, prefabricated Conex modular units, “which are similar to ocean shipping containers but are often used to store construction materials,” reported DJC Oregon.  They measure approximately eight feet by 20 feet and have ceiling heights of eight feet to nine and a half feet.  The units have enough space for four testing stations.  Pricing for these testing centers range from $60,000 to $75,000 depending on the end-user’s needs.  With their future rollouts, PCL is hoping to have a half-size option with enough space for two screeners, which would be a cost-effective and appropriate solution for midsize companies.

There are currently two design options— walk-up and drive-thru.  These PVTCs can be customized to accommodate medical equipment and technology “deemed essential by the client,” according to Sean.  The walk-up boxes have four stations that separate health care workers from those being tested outside.  Each side of the box has two windows and two dual-purpose, collapsible canopies, which shelter people being tested and protect the box when it is shipped.  The drive-thru units are similar, but with only one window on each side instead of two.

At the end of the module, there is a single swing door for workers to enter and exit through.  “Inside, there is a hand wash station, biohazard waste bin, metal shelving/cabinets, counters, a water cooler, electrical panel, a computer rack/communications panel and space for an optional battery.  Hand sanitizer dispensers are found outside each window,” DJC Oregon reported.

Units can be equipped with additional technologies.  Specific features include: cameras for monitoring, screening and security; thermal cameras to screen for fever; solar-powered WiFi; computers or tablets for digital communication and text chat; real-time language translation; and occupancy sensors that estimate the line and relay that information via an app or the internet.

Mobile testing centers can be quickly deployed to sites throughout the country with the help of a trailer and a forklift.  PVTCs are ready in just two to three weeks, from purchase order to site installation, and are operational in minutes after their arrival.  

Currently, PCL has modular manufacturing facilities in Bakersfield, California; Lake Charlies, Louisiana, and Houston, and has “sufficient production capacity to produce Portable Virus Testing Centers units as needed,” according to Scott.  A few units have been made at the modular production plants in Houston and Toronto.

The production of these PVTCs has been a companywide effort.  “We have mobilized all our special projects managers across our company to be the frontline effort of coordinating the delivery and installation of these units across the country,” Scott explained.

While many other companies in Minnesota are responding to gaps in the supply chain by increasing production of hand sanitizer, ventilators and other essential supplies, PLC Construction has found a way to use their strengths and benefit companies nationwide.  These portable virus testing centers can be quickly deployed nationwide to serve businesses and help create safe work environments.

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