Facility managers are looking for ways to cut back and ideas on how to get more for less. One option is to conduct an audit of existing spaces. The analysis may shed light on areas that can be consolidated for smarter, more efficient uses. Begin by looking at...
Responsible purchasing While one may not understand, at first glance, the difference between a nitrile glove and a PVC glove, through working with group purchasing organizations, purchasing departments, and experts from industry, environmentally preferable practices...
If there is anything we should learn from this economic collapse, it is that risk costs money! Health care organizations must begin to understand that the default AE/CM process is fraught with risk for which the hospital pays. The risk premium price today is higher than it may have ever been in modern times. Design-build with a lump-sum negotiated price, is the only system that can effectively mitigate this risk.
As an interior designer, I often approach healthcare design as an opportunity to inspire people and promote a healthy lifestyle. One question I’m frequently asked is: How can we best provide for the growing bariatric population nationally? HGA’s healthcare interior...
Studies & experts are calling for an economic recovery plan focused on green jobs & infrastructure, which is seen as a growing bright spot for the U.S. economy. Do you agree with USGBC CEO Rick Fedrizzi that sustainability is key to a prosperous future? 60% -...
While greening healthcare has finally hit the mainstream and the number of engaged facilities has increased substantially, “getting started” is often a challenge, even when there is interest in the topic. Where facilities fall on the greening spectrum and how they...
As a senior at the University of Michigan, I had a professor who rather seriously and frequently asked what my generation was doing; not in an accusatory manner, arguing that we were destroying the sanctity of the country, but on a holistic level, failing to see the...
For the fourth year participants in the DESIGN Showcase were asked to discuss the real challenges they faced in developing and executing a design. Going beyond displaying a project's highlights, many honestly laid out the difficulties they encountered in realizing...
Several trends are becoming increasingly important as baby boomers age and require elder healthcare services. Most patients are increasing the amount of time spent traveling to appointments when primary care physicians request medical tests oriented toward the...
Project SummaryCompletion Date: November 2008 Owner: HealthEast/St. Joseph's Hospital, St. Paul, MN Owner's Representative: Boldt Consulting Services, Milwaukee, WI Executive Architect (Architect-of-Record): BWBR Architects, St. Paul, MN Design Architect: Hellmuth,...
In the last five years many important healthcare building projects have been completed using evidence-based design. This transition in practice methodology has created a baseline of knowledge that no longer needs debate, and as a result, has fostered groundbreaking...
One of the more fascinating aspects of publishing a long-term care design annual is the chance it gives us to follow the evolution of design concepts from year to year. Now in its 13th year, DESIGN/Environments for Aging has been tracking the long-term care design...
