HCD Guest Author

When people talk about the challenges involved in opening a new healthcare building project, different considerations may come to mind depending on which stakeholder you talk to. Is it the grand opening events with all of the pomp and circumstance? Is it the never ending list of punch-list items and overlooked details? Is it obtaining the necessary regulatory approvals to operate the new facility? Is it communicating the changes to staff? The community? Anyone who has been through the process knows it is a carefully orchestrated dance of all of these and more.

The image of healthcare facilities has evolved ever since the nation's first hospital opened in Pennsylvania, in 1752. Through history, the perception of a hospital has progressed from chaotic and filthy, to cold and impersonal, to spa- and hotel-like. Healthcare...

Project Summary Owner: The Health Alliance of Cincinnati Architecture: RTKL (Dallas, Texas) Medical Equipment Planning: RTKL Healthcare Technologies Low Voltage Systems: RTKL Special Systems Design Group Construction Management: Mortenson-Messer Healthcare...

Although most commonly used as smaller mobile care units, such as MRI rooms, applications range from dialysis facilities and pharmacies to surgical suites, or even emergency care units rapidly deployed in the aftermath of a natural disaster. “This option provides a...

A few months back I was having dinner in Washington, DC, with two very intelligent and engaging women; Esther M. Sternberg, MD, the author of the new book Healing Spaces: The Science and Place of Well-being, and Jennifer Wilcox, the past director of education for the...

Eco-friendly healthcare fabrics Momentum Textiles launches the Evolve Healthcare Collection using reduced environmental impact materials and processes. MBDC Gold Certified patterns, Decimal and Aperture, are constructed of 100% eco-intelligent polyester and contribute...

When designing the patient room, what bathroom design do you use most often? 23.08% - Inboard 7.69% - Outboard 15.38% - Nested 53.85% - We use all three, depending on the project

As healthcare facilities continue to find design inspiration from the hospitality industry, healthcare planners and designers are taking a deeper, more accommodating view toward campus planning, designing landscaped sites that offer respite in redeeming, natural...

When considering the word intern, one assumes a student or a recent graduate undergoing supervised practical training. This is the path pursued by most architecture graduates on their way to acquiring the status of a fully-trained or licensed professional. This period...

Headwalls are always a point of debate. Do you just build the devices to the wall and stop there or do you use a purchased headwall unit? The in-the-wall advocates will tell you that you do not need to spend $1,000 or more for a hunk of plastic, aluminum, plastic laminate, or whatever it is, in order to have a place to terminate the devices (gasses, power, low voltage). Those who favor the purchased units will say that it is better for cleaning and easier to make location changes or additions later.

How often do you use modular solutions in your designs? 63.64% - We always try to use modular solutions 27.27% - Only when the client requests 0.00% - Modular solutions are often cost prohibitive 9.09% - We never use modular solutions