Calgary-based companies team up in battle against COVID-19 pandemic

Companies adapting to help health-care providers Two Calgary-based companies think they have a solution for health-care providers in need of more space. Kevin Fleming reports.

Calgary — Two Calgary construction companies are joining forces to help meet the need in the global fight against the COVID-19 pandemic.

Sprung Structures and Falkbuilt and are ramping up production to meet global demand around healthcare needs.

Sprung Structures is known for manufacturing fabric buildings which have been used in disaster relief around the world.

“Let's say you put (a structure) up at a parking lot in a hospital, you can rest assured that it can handle extreme hurricane force wind loads and snow and then you can dismantle it and repurpose it if necessary,” said Jim Avery, vice-president of Sprung Structures.

The company, located just south of Calgary in Aldersyde, is already filling demand for clients across North America.

“We’re getting orders right now, we’re shipping out drive-through test facilities, walk-through facilities, quite a few needs for hospitals, that’s where Falkbuilt comes in to play, we’re thrilled to be working with them,” said Avery.

Falkbuilt was founded by CEO Mogens Smed and specializes in digital component construction.

“These hospitals, where they do have space is in their parking lot, so you could literally put a 10,000-foot slab down, put the Sprung structure up and we could come on the inside and we could have them up and running … in less than three months,” said Smed.

While Sprung engineers and sets up the structure — which is much stronger than a tent — Falkbuilt can fill it with medical infrastructure built at its Calgary facility to essentially turn the space in to an operational healthcare facility.

“If you ordered 50 (intensive care units) today, we could ship them to you … in two weeks and we could install them in a week, so we could definitely have that impact, we’re all ready to do that and we’re in that position.”

Smed is not sure how his company can help immediately in terms of the pandemic but says they’re ready.

“Much as we don’t like to say it but there’s a possibility there will be more viruses in the future and we think there will be a huge emphasis on being ready next time,” he said.