There’s plenty of research showing how access to nature, daylighting, and fresh air can aid in the healing process, and this has driven many healthcare projects to dip their toes into “greener” waters, adding larger windows in patient rooms, installing a green roof, or providing a garden or walking path on campus.
One look at Lady Cilento Children’s Hospital in Brisbane, Australia, and it’s clear that something different is afoot.
Its brightly colored fins, stacked buildings, and balconies jutting out at different angles look less like a hospital and more like an art museum or community center—and that’s exactly the point. “They were spending more than a billion dollars and they didn’t want it to feel like a hospital,” says architect Bruce Wolfe, the managing director at Conrad Gargett (Brisbane, Australia).
Upali Nanda assumed growing up that she’d follow in her father’s footsteps into academia. And while she may not be standing in front of a classroom, she’s still teaching others through a career devoted to research.
In this series, Healthcare Design asks leading healthcare design professionals, firms, and owners to tell us what’s got their attention and share some ideas on the subject.
Concord Medical Services (International) Pte Ltd, a wholly owned subsidiary of Concord Medical Services Holdings Limited (Beijing), is acquiring the Fortis Surgical Hospital (Singapore) from Fortis Healthcare International Pte Ltd.
In this series, Healthcare Design asks leading healthcare design professionals, firms, and owners to tell us what’s got their attention and share some ideas on the subject.
Anthony J. Haas is president of the American College of Healthcare Architects and a senior principal at WHR Architects (Houston). Here, he shares his thoughts on nurturing the next generation of healthcare architects, international partnerships, and project time management.
1. Young talent
Sean Gouvin, the director of facilities planning and engineering operations at the not-for-profit healthcare system, Baystate Health (Springfield, Mass.), says his 10-year-old self would never have imagined a career in facilities management.
“No way,” he said during a recent interview with Healthcare Design. “I would have guessed that I’d be into athletics or coaching.”
Beginning in high school, Gouvin began working in construction and eventually project management in a variety of sectors before landing in healthcare.
Early on, before they knew what an architect, designer, researcher, or facility manger really did, this year’s HCD 10 honorees imagined themselves taking different career paths.
A few wanted to be teachers or doctors, another an athlete. At the age of 10, one aspired to be a TV weatherman.
This is the first installment of our HCD 10 podcast series, featuring an interview with AECOM’s Christine Hester Devens, this year’s Interior Designer winner. Check back each week for more installments.
In this series, Healthcare Design asks leading healthcare design professionals, firms, and owners to tell us what’s got their attention and share some ideas on the subject.
Jennifer Aliber is a principal at Shepley Bulfinch (Boston and Phoenix). Here, she shares her thoughts on healthcare-acquired infections, the rise of 3-D printers in medicine, and the convenience of clinic care.
1. Healthcare in the media
The Children’s Hospital at OU Medical Center (Oklahoma City, Okla.) welcomes young patients and their families to its campus with a scene comprising 12 kites and three bronze sculptures of children at play.
The 140-foot-long piece, titled “Spirit,” is the work of Omaha, Neb.-based sculptor Matthew Placzek and took 14 months to complete.
From the opening session at the Healthcare Design Academy on “Five Takeaways to Share with the C-Suite,” to the closing session on “The ‘Real’ Retailing of Healthcare,” the message was clear: healthcare providers and the teams that design their spaces need to keep changing and adapting in order to survive.
