Morgue capacity

Thank you for your question. I would break this question into two categories: capacity and location.

The capacity of the morgue depends on the overall capacity of the facility. The short-term solution would be to repurpose another space in the facility for the storage of the decease if it can be converted to meet the requirements of morgue spaces. A long-term solution would be expanding the facility or providing a remote location affiliated with your facility to store the deceased. When designing these spaces, customization and flexibility are important factors to considered. The following article talks about different design methods that can help solve some of the challenges of these spaces. If you have any further questions about this resource, feel free to answer in response this answer or if it is unrelated to your initial question, feel free to post a new question on the homepage.

3 ways to maximize postmortem spaces in medical facilities
https://www.hfmmagazine.com/articles/2114-3-ways-to-maximize-postmortem-spaces-in-medical-facilities

The following resource is a checklist that can be used when designing morgue spaces and units. It is especially important to understand that there are many factors that go into the design other than the physical storage of the bodies. With this resource, it will help better determine what would be needed in terms of dealing with the overcapacity of the morgue space in certain facilities. If you have any further questions about this resource, feel free to answer in response this answer or if it is unrelated to your initial question, feel free to post a new question on the homepage.

Mortuary – General
http://healthfacilityguidelines.com/ViewPDF/ViewIndexPDF/iHFG_part_b_mortuary_general

Regarding the location, typically the deceased are transported from their unit in the facility, to the morgue. If the problem of expanding morgue capacity can not be solved, maybe consider relocating the morgue within the facility as a long-term solution. That would minimize the amount of time the deceased would spend in that space before they get transferred out. Locating morgues closer to places in the facilities where pick-ups can be made would make it easier for the deceased to circulate in and out. Also, allowing easy access to these morgue spaces from the exterior building is ideal as well. For example, if a morgue space in the Cellar of a building, without direct exterior access, it would mean that a means of vertical transportation would be needed, i.e. an elevator. If an elevator is not available close by, it makes the transport process a lot more difficult.
A short-term solution for many hospitals has been to store the deceased in trailers which can seem very depressing and as a designer not preferred. Also reconsidering the layout and organization of current morgue spaces can help. Which of these options do you think would be the most effective? Expansion, relocation, or reorganization? I would be interested to hear about the current layout of your facility and know how it can possibly be improved to address your concerns. Also, if there are any other categories that can be added, feel free to provide additional input. The following resource is a guide that has been created by The New York City Office of Chief Medical Examiner (OCME) and New York City Emergency Management (NYCEM) because of the pandemic. Maybe some of these apply to your situation. If you have any further questions about this resource, feel free to answer in response this answer or if it is unrelated to your initial question, feel free to post a new question on the homepage.

NYC Mass Fatality Management Guidance
https://www.gnyha.org/tool/nyc-mass-fatality-management-guidance/

I hope this was helpful! Looking forward to continuing this conversation.