The Modular Adaptable Convertible (MAC) ward at the Fu Jen Catholic University Hospital in Taipei is the world's first hospital ward made with recycled materials, according to its creators, Taiwanese company Miniwiz. The wall panels are made from recycled aluminum and the coat hooks and door handles are made from recycled medical waste. Photo Credit: Taiwan Design Research Institute
Environment TaiwanThis Architect Turned Waste into a Hospital Ward
A company based in Taipei, the capital of Taiwan, conceived the world’s first hospital ward built from recycled local materials, in an architect’s drive to solve the need for medical supplies and hospital space, while revolutionizing recycling.
The company, Miniwiz, wishes to democratize zero-waste technology since only 9% of plastic waste has been recycled, shifting its mission to make sure recycling is more accessible to communities and to avoid the practice of exporting waste.
“We don’t need to create new things,” says architect and engineer Arthur Huang, co-founder and CEO of Miniwiz, a company dedicated to transforming waste into construction material. “We just need to use our ingenuity, innovations, and our good heart and a good brain to transform these existing materials into the next generation of products and buildings to power our economy.”
According to Huang, even a portable version of the Modula Adaptable Convertible ward, the world’s first of its kind made solely from recycled materials, can be built wherever needed – and all it would take is 24 hours to do it!
