"Rapid Rescue," a wall-mounted stretcher, is a new product design that emerged from a scene of architectural design. It was selected among the "Best 100" designs in addition to winning the Good Focus Award in the Good Design Awards 2021.
The impetus for the development came from a request to install a stretcher in the entrance hall when we were designing a city hall. Stretchers should be installed in places where "everyone can recognize their presence" to allow for a quick action. On the other hand, we realized that stretchers are not intended for installation in public places but are often left exposed in the back or stored away in storage, making it impossible to respond quickly in case of an emergency.
We developed a new stretcher to solve the current problematic state of stretchers. We aimed for a simple, compact stretcher that can be "stored in the wall." Our idea was to install them in public places without an unsightly appearance by storing them hidden in the wall. We thought that conceiling them in the wall would allow installation in public places without compromising the appearance instead of tucking them away in the back of the building.
One of the ingenious ideas for storage was to fold the stretcher and embed it in the wall, rather than placing it in a box and embed it in the wall.
The appearance of the stretcher stored in the wall was designed as simple as possible. The lower part is shaped for easy extraction, with the handle part serving as a finger hook.
By rounding and flattening the grips and inserting canvas between them, we created a stretcher with a depth that fits into the 100mm-deep wall substrate, a typical dimension for building walls. We created a sharp-looking frame using folded aluminum sheets,and the side cover appears on the wall like a wall finish. The side covers hold the canvas in place and serve as feet when placed on the floor.
The stretcher must be easily maneuverable and safe. In other words, we needed to achieve both simple action and a safe, lightweight structure. You can extract the stretcher with a simple lift-up-and-pull-out method. After extraction, you can expand it by fastening the stopper. The grips are made of extracted aluminum to achieve lightness and strength. The shape of the grip allows the load to firmly rest on the finger joints in both two-person and four-person operations. Components sich as the handles and covers combine functionality and aesthetics in storage and operational settings.
While we do not use stretchers daily, it is difficult to carry a person without one in an emergency. With Rapid Rescue, we can achieve an environment where the necessary means to "carry a fallen person" is available close by, thereby creating a society where everyone can live with peace of mind.
