Key drivers in healthcare construction & design
The healthcare industry has undergone rapid change in a short time and continues to evolve every year, prompting new ways to approach design in healthcare spaces. Hospitals in 2023 will prioritize flexible spaces, a focus on wellness in design and increased commitment to sustainability efforts. Shaping the future of the healthcare industry, those responsible behind the scenes — architects, designers, engineers, facilities managers and contractors — have a responsibility to identify shifting needs and create user-oriented solutions that contribute to the longevity, resiliency and adaptability of healthcare facilities.
Flexibility of spaces
For hospitals in 2023 and beyond, the flexibility of spaces will remain a constant in design. Not only are flexible spaces essential when the next pandemic or natural disaster occurs and facilities need to adapt and mobilize to meet short-term needs, but they are also necessary due to the fast rate at which technology is advancing. As the healthcare sector continues to evolve, designing flexible spaces does more than just prepare hospitals for crises, it increases the utilization of a facility by providing more options to adapt in unforeseen situations.
For example, acuity-adaptable patient rooms — hospital rooms that allow care to come to the patient rather than moving the patient to where care is — are becoming more predominant. Acuity-adaptable patient rooms help solve the issue of overcrowding within hospitals, while ensuring the patient is cared for in the same room no matter their care needs. In pandemic-specific situations, a flexible solution that will rise in popularity will be the use of patient units that can be fully exhausted in the event that an isolation unit is needed. For instance, emergency department observation units that can be fully exhausted and mobilized as additional treatment areas provide the dual purpose of serving as an ED and substitute trauma unit when needed. Flexibility in design can be carried into other areas of hospitals, such as ambulance bays that transform into mass decontamination zones and education spaces that shift to become emergency triage when the need arises.
Adaptability, convertibility and flexibility of healthcare spaces will be more important than ever, cementing a standard across the industry as a way to care for patients and support caregivers in an efficient and effective manner.
Greater emphasis on wellness
A focus on elements such as access to fresh air, natural light and quality acoustics makes a healthcare facility more comfortable for those who have to spend a great deal of time there. It is important to reduce sensory stressors by reimagining what we know of a traditional, institutional-like healthcare facility. While access to natural light has been a code requirement in patient rooms and has been linked to shorter stays, this theme of light should cascade throughout the entirety of a hospital. By creating roof gardens and terraces for visitors, caregivers and patients when appropriate, wellness spaces will provide users with a place of rest to prevent burnout and increase the quality of care.
In 2023, we can expect to see a shift occur in non-traditional diagnostic and treatment spaces where high anxiety occurs with patients. By adding clerestory windows in pre-operative holding areas, post-anesthesia care units, corridors, procedure rooms, operating rooms and ED examination rooms, more light will illuminate spaces and provide calming effects to patients and caretakers. When designing a campus, designers should approach the site as a therapeutic and restorative tool for its occupants by creating spaces for respite that allow for meditation. Access to natural light and spaces, such as teaching gardens and rest areas, should be activated to inspire, reinvigorate and drive wellness.
Heightened commitment to sustainability
Earlier this year, the White House called upon the healthcare sector to address climate change. Hospitals are energy intensive by nature with the equipment needed to function and serve the community properly. The mechanical, electrical and plumbing systems are robust with the intensive required air changes and need for redundancy — making up most of the budget due to each facility’s specific requirements.
Since healthcare facilities utilize more resources and produce more waste materials than most other commercial buildings, it is essential that these facilities involve green designs and sustainable concepts within budgetary constraints and without compromising quality. Designers can address sustainability issues by setting goals such as:
- Minimizing parking by providing alternative transportation methods for active living
- Utilizing non-potable water sources to provide site irrigation
- Reducing potable water use by 30% minimum
- Maximizing passive design elements to reduce energy demand
- Implementing renewable energy sources and green power
- Sourcing sustainable and healthy materials that are local/regional
- Minimizing construction waste
- Optimizing indoor air quality
The hospital of the future will always be our community beacon for healing and care. The healthcare industry will continue to develop new experiences and interactions between patients, caregivers and technologies to successfully deliver quality care that supports communities. As we move into 2023, flexibility, wellness and sustainability will be at the forefront of projects to ensure healthcare facilities deliver quality care that supports communities.
