Three physicians in charge of design share what inspires healthcare architecture
Public health and the built environment have a long history and have been thrust into the spotlight during the COVID-19 pandemic. The global crisis has made us keenly aware of how design, whether for purpose-built medical buildings or other types of buildings, impacts our ability to respond to health emergencies and our everyday well-being. Recognized. The ones most relatable to this connection are the niche group of architecture and design professionals who also have medical backgrounds.
big city We recently spoke with three members of this unique subset. Sr. at CannonDesign His Consultant and Intensive Care Unit Manager, Jacobs Healthcare His Principal Geriatric Physician and Surgeon with his medical experience as a Senior Physician. Principal and Chief Medical Officer of HOK’s Medical Operations. Beyond their impressive resumes, these hybrid professionals bring unparalleled hands-on perspectives to healthy design. how it has evolved, how we are collaborating with design teams in the wake of the pandemic, and how we see the growing interest in health and well-being in design. of non-medical spaces. — Lauren Volker
Andrew M. Ibrahim, MD, MSC
- Chief Medical Officer, Healthcare, HOK
- Assistant Professor of Surgery, Architecture and Urban Planning, University of Michigan
- Co-Director of Health Care Outcomes and Policy, University of Michigan
- Surgeon, Ann Arbor, Michigan
The healthcare frontline is one of the most complex and risky environments in any profession. Healthcare professionals are constantly looking for ways to clarify purpose and simplify processes to provide the best care for their patients. As building designs become increasingly complex, whether it’s code requirements, new materials or new technologies, medical professionals find their most valuable services to help provide clarity and focus on what matters most. maybe.
Since the pandemic, data-driven decision-making has taken center stage. Previous design decisions always considered trade-offs, but the unprecedented focus on climate and sustainability, as well as hospital efficiency and capacity, has made quantitative data real-time understanding possible. has become very important. A growing number of data-driven econometric modeling strategies are guiding our large-scale design decisions.
The pandemic has not only given us permission, it has obliged us to be more innovative. The design of healthcare spaces, including natural air ventilation and retractable roofs, may have seemed implausible in the past, but today, these critical elements common in stadium design and airports are becoming increasingly popular. The concept can play an important role in healthcare facilities. As such, many teams include members with multidisciplinary and diverse architectural typology experience to deliver more innovative design solutions.
Health is at the heart of nearly everything we design. Over the last three years, I’ve seen non-healthcare projects grow to more than half of my portfolio. In short, health is important to everyone, and design can be intentionally used to make every part of work, eat, rest and play healthier. Many of the principles I use as a doctor to help my patients live healthier lives intersect with how we design everyday spaces for wellness.
DIANA ANDERSON, MD, M. ARCH HEALTHCARE PRINCIPAL JACOBS
- Co-founder of Clinicalians for Design
- Lecturer in Neurology, Boston University
- Geriatric Neurology Fellow, VA Boston Health Care System
Healthcare professionals can provide insight into healthcare practices and, most importantly, patient needs and experiences. These perspectives represent a unique opportunity for architects to experience the world of clinical medicine in ways that are usually hidden. You can walk the hall. You can talk to doctors and other clinicians. We can cast shadows as individuals go about their daily lives. Involving healthcare providers in the project also facilitates a data-driven design process that enhances the built environment and benefits health outcomes.
Although the clinical practice of healthcare and the fields of architecture, planning, and design have traditionally occupied distinct professional, social, and cultural worlds, emerging professionals are exploring these seldom-intersecting intersections. Beyond, seeking a convergence of career models through different areas. Research, education, practice. This movement has accelerated during the pandemic due to the need for rapid, innovative and often design-based solutions to many problems.
The pandemic has revealed the need for a shift to data-driven design processes and the role buildings play in our physical, mental and social health. One striking example is a study that showed better outcomes in smaller nursing homes. Significant reductions in COVID-19 infections, hospitalizations and deaths. What worries me is the reactive approach to design that we’ve seen during the pandemic, with infection control as the main driver. In my opinion, this is just one element of his health design. Ensuring the quality of life and health (including mental, physical and social health) of those who use healthcare spaces remains a top priority.
Sure, you can create an enclosed space that keeps infection at bay, but it often has a domino effect. We have seen first-hand the detrimental effects of social isolation and loneliness on health. In medical settings, studies have shown that long-term care residents without personal contact with family and friends experienced more excess mortality early in the COVID-19 pandemic. And this concept extends to all spaces and environments. The detrimental effects of enforced social isolation can be mitigated through design, even within our own homes. The design of environments built at all spatial scales, from our homes to neighborhoods and cities, has been shown to reduce levels of depression, loneliness and anxiety. It’s a factor.
Cary Stone, MHA, BSN, RN
- Blue Cottage of CannonDesign Senior Consultant
- Intensive Care Unit Manager, CHI Health St. Elizabeth, Lincoln, Nebraska
Working in a healthcare space every day gives me a whole different level of view of what works and what doesn’t for patients and staff. No designer or team can imagine or simulate all the different scenarios we might experience in the field. Medical professionals can point to specific furniture, equipment, techniques, or designed workflows. They may be aesthetically pleasing, but they create inefficiencies.
We all remember the turbulent early days of the pandemic when medical teams lacked PPE and medical facilities didn’t have enough space to properly care for patients. The healthcare ingenuity shown in that moment still inspires me, and many of the ideas the team came up with in that moment carry over to this day.
But at the same time, the health system recognizes that global pandemics are inherently unique and is focused on big-picture ideas to improve care, pandemic or not: flexibility. Ample space, beds and patient rooms can be more easily upgraded to accommodate critical care. , self-cleaning materials, and strategies for making isolation more lonely. All of this brings about important changes, but not just in preventing future pandemics.
An interesting example of this can be found in our current work with Health at the University of Cincinnati (UC). The team at CannonDesign and CannonDesign’s Blue Cottage helped build an amazing level of flexibility into the design of the new emergency department. When completed, it will feature a separate entrance with extensive triage space and 32 laboratory pods that can run in “pandemic mode” to treat infected patients. These responses will strengthen his UC Health not only in the face of future pandemics, but also in a variety of other scenarios.
CannonDesign’s Blue Cottage is also functioning in a variety of areas, seeing educational and commercial spaces injecting more health and care resources into the environment. Healthcare providers who are also involved in the design can directly influence these projects. I always felt that designers and providers cared about the patient experience in a unique way. And when he is able to combine these unique perspectives and passions into one team, the true magic happens.
This article originally appeared in Metropolis Magazine.
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