In a mission-critical environment like a hospital, every system that contributes to the environment of care must serve its purpose consistently and reliably. As automation and its integration increase, systems commissioning conducted during the construction process,...
About five years ago, Janet Faulkner, AIA, LEED AP, and John Jex, AIA, both design leaders at Seattle-based Callison, were sitting and chatting in an airport lounge between flights. They found themselves perturbed by the same healthcare design-related question: Why...
I remember a friend of mine once coming back from New York City and telling me about a hotel he stayed in. “You walk into the lobby and its lavish—vaulted ceiling, dramatic pendant lighting, the reception desk a broad sweep of oak, a gleaming marble floor. You can't...
The fact that hospitals undergo physical change has become a subject of interest on an international level. These changes are of great concern to healthcare organizations—and to governments—because of the rising costs of construction and the need to control those...
Though innovative design is a fundamental cornerstone of any development, discipline is needed to ensure that the project will be constructed within strict cost parameters. AG Architecture, Inc., (AG) has created a unique methodology to support detailed pricing...
Viken Djaferian/Fotografix Viken Djaferian/Fotografix Sometimes the best cure for a patient has nothing to do with medicine and a lot to do with the surroundings. The “prescription” for patients at Affinity Medical Group's clinic in Greenville, Wisconsin, included a...
Golfer Arnold Palmer has been a champion to his many fans for more than 40 years. Another champion was his late wife, Winnie, when it came to providing safe, welcoming, totally supportive care to newborns and their mothers, particularly in the Orlando, Florida area....
Frequent moviegoers have no doubt seen scenes in which a harried pilot or astronaut brings his craft in for a bumpy landing and then—surprise, surprise—emerges from an elevated metal box, wiping his fevered brow, having just taken on a flight simulator. At William...
From her vantage point on the northern wall of the Gold Room in Stockholm Town Hall—the same venue where Nobel Laureates receive their prizes every year—the “Queen of Lake Malaren” (her portrait, that is) witnessed the coming of age of Europe's green healthcare...
Facility managers, maintenance staff, accountants, and other building owners and operators are being drawn into the reemerging “green” industry to help solve some of their health and cash-flow issues. This is a good step for building and occupant health, for as a...
In January, Debra Levin and I keynoted the opening of the Facilities and Design segment of the Arab Health Congress in Dubai, UAE. It was the first time either one of us had traveled to the Middle East and we were not sure how we would be accepted, along with our...
As waste and recycling consultants, we have worked with many facilities to help improve waste-handling efficiencies and increase recycling. Often, we are brought in to solve problems and provide solutions to waste stream issues after a spectacular but not always...
