“Reflections” is a new column featuring thoughts and commentary by former HEALTHCARE DESIGN Editor-in-Chief Richard L. Peck. One of the fun things for an editor is when articles that he or she has selected for a particular issue fall inadvertently into a theme. That...
HCD Guest Author
HCD Guest Author's Latest Posts
Designing for Infection Prevention
Today's hospitals are operating in an increasingly complex and challenging environment. Factors such as the weakened economy, cuts in Medicare reimbursement, and the growing uninsured population are whittling away at already paper-thin operating margins. At the same...
To each its own
One of the goals of any advanced design, architectural or interior, is to give the building and space a “personality,” a visual expression that can only belong to itself and can be mistaken for no other form or type of its kind. Recently, noted healthcare interior...
Cancer Center/Hospital/Cancer Research Institute (Identity Confidential) HKS, Inc.
Category: Category C: Unbuilt Project: Cancer Center/Hospital/Cancer Research Institute Owner: Confidential Project Location: United States, details withheld Submitting Architect: HKS, Inc. JV or associate architect: UHS Building Solutions MEP engineer: ccrd partners...
A Conversation With Derek Parker

The new charity hospital begins at home
In late August 2005 a nearly 250-year-old hospital died. New Orleans' historic Charity Hospital was flooded by a rampaging Mississippi River at the height of Hurricane Katrina, was evacuated, and was never to be used again. The building still stands, however, and is...
Designing a more efficient care model
Healthcare reform is debated all over the news these days. How to deliver equitable care in a more cost-efficient system that is safe, effective, and timely is the preponderance of many in our nation's capital. It is no easy feat, but for those of us who think about...
Today’s trends: A quick overview
This year has, unfortunately, seen a sea change for the architecture/engineering/construction field, as unemployment grows and postponed and cancelled projects continue to mount in a troubled economy. Adding to the uncertainties for healthcare are the mega-debates...
How pandemic risk influences emergency department design
Everyone hopes that the current H1N1 2009 pandemic (swine flu) will remain mild, but the reality is that hospital providers must be prepared for unmitigated virus outbreak. In September 2009, doctors at Dell Children’s Medical Center in Austin, Texas, set up two...
ASID: The next innovation for healthcare interiors…
I recently joined 200 of my Perkins+Will healthcare architect and interior designer colleagues and dedicated 12 hours to a single focus: innovation. Connected via Web-conferencing, internal Perkins+Will teams across the nation discussed, collaborated, and challenged each other to define, refine, and attempt innovation. We call this annual event our "Center of Excellence," which promotes the growth of our knowledge base and improves our healthcare practice with a varying healthcare focus topic every year.
How many international projects has your firm worked on in the past year?
How many international projects has your firm worked on in the past year? 54.29% - 0 31.43% - 1-2 5.71% - 3-5 8.57% - More than 5 COMMENTS - This sucks but got to keep looking, it can only get better soon, I hope. Very soon.
Energy? From the Ground?
One of the more interesting opportunities for reducing energy consumption in healthcare facilities is a solution that is older than dirt—literally. Ground heat source systems have been around for hundreds of years, but have only been applied to hospitals in the last 20 to 30 years.











