Noviun, led by Architectural Assistant John Poole, are to provide up to 300 3D printed facemasks a week for NHS staff during the COVID-19 pandemic.
In collaboration with The Makers Guild in Portsmouth and the Industry Prints initiative, Noviun are being provided with free material, dropped to us and the masks are being collected from us and distributed both across the country and locally.
The Industry Prints initiative currently has 40+ architects, contractors and businesses from around the country helping to provide vital PPE for the NHS frontline staff including Foster+Partners, Willmott Dixon and HOK to name a few.
HTA Design and HOK’s London Studio have worked directly with the NHS to develop an open-source pattern for the 3D printer to manufacture plastic headsets. A product specification and simple, downloadable instructions are available on the website. Once printed, the headsets are then delivered to distribution hubs, fitted with visors, sterilised, and distributed to hospitals where the greatest shortages have been identified by the NHS.
Richard Foxley, senior associate at HTA Design, who started the initiative, said:
“This is a call to action that goes beyond the architecture profession: Anyone with a 3D printer and the right materials can visit our website and find out how to get involved. We are all in this together, and this initiative hopes to play its part in getting vital supplies to those most in need.”
In response to this Noviun felt obliged to help.
If you feel you might be able to help, the source files for printing the facemasks can be found here: https://www.theindustryprints.co.uk/