HCD Guest Author

On a recent trip to the Bay Area (to review session proposals for the HEALTHCARE DESIGN.12 conference!), I was invited to spend an afternoon visiting two leading architectural firms, both of which do significant work in the healthcare arena—the San Francisco offices of Skidmore, Owings & Merrill (SOM) and SmithGroupJJR.

One of the neatest things about covering the latest technology in buildings is witnessing how innovative folks are taking existing technology and figuring out how to apply it in a hospital setting.

Congratulations! After months of a relentless pursuit, you have convinced a high-impact performer to take a risk and leave a good situation to join your organization. 

But your job is not done. 

Don’t think you can just give your new superstar the keys to their office and let them do their magic. Most studies suggest that how well that high performer ultimately performs is greatly impacted during the employee’s first 90 days. 

A recent survey, conducted by Mortenson Construction at our HEALTHCARE DESIGN conference last year in November, provided very informative reading and gave a snapshot of how healthcare architects, providers, vendors, and those in construction are feeling about the healthcare industry as a whole.

As reported here, Switzerland moving forward with plans to build a mock-1950s village — dubbed "Dementiaville" by its detractors — catering exclusively for elderly sufferers of Alzheimer's and other debilitating mental ill

I was at a healthcare conference recently, chatting with a client, when we happened to overhear another general contractor bragging about how his company just returned over $3 million to an owner upon completion of a major hospital replacement project. My client remarked that if it were his facility, he would rather have been given the option to use the cost savings to add scope or upgrade a major system. For him, there was greater value in being able to enhance his current project.

In case you didn't hear this recently reported story on NPR, a new study has now linked a 2010 outbreak of Legionnaire's disease to a water feature at a hospital in Wisconsin. If you're not familiar, Legionnaires' disease is a severe and potentially deadly form of pneumonia caused by the bacteria Legionella, which can be inhaled from contaminated water sources.

The Humber River Regional Hospital (HRRH) redevelopment project, an undertaking of nearly $1.75 billion scheduled to be completed in 2015, brings together a group of firms and organizations dedicated to designing and building a hospital that will improve patient and bedside care. The 1.7-million-square-foot hospital in Toronto, Ontario, is the result of collaboration between the Ontario Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care, HRRH, and Plenary Health Care Partnerships (PHCP).

With the recent report from the American Institute of Architects that there are now more than $1 billion worth of stalled projects in its database, it seems that the industry may have hit a whole new level of frustration. The AIA database now contains 36 projects worth a total of almost $1.2 billion, and 50 (both anonymous and public) investors looking for projects to finance, a fairly staggering number.

Continuing our discussion of clinic design, we look at the entry sequence as an important first impression. A well-designed public entry projects a commitment to quality care and inspires patients’ confidence.

From small storefront clinics to large healthcare campuses with multiple access points, the entry sequence draws patients and other visitors intuitively to the “front door.” 

To make the entry sequence as straightforward and stress-free as possible, designers might consider these key features: 

Many colleges across the nation offer semester-long lecture series, inviting notable names to be guest lecturers and talk about relevant topics in their fields. It’s a chance to glean knowledge and for students, undergraduate and graduate, to network and maybe gain inspiration.