Lesson 2: Make the Experience Personal “The Experience Architecture Forum at Harvard,” the notice read to my as yet disbelieving eyes. And then this: “Experience Architecture applies what we have learned from 150 years of world's fairs, guest venues, and the...
“What? How can you even suggest that we need additional beds! We are only operating at 65% occupancy. The Board will think I'm crazy to even think about increasing our bed capacity, given such a low overall occupancy rate,” says the anonymous CEO.
Unfortunately, on any given day, many hospitals are running at an occupancy rate so high that it could have a negative impact on patient safety and quality of care–even though their overall annual occupancy is reported to be below 70%.
Project Summary Project Name: Claire Tow Pediatric Day Hospital Architecture: Granary Associates Project Team: John J. Cummiskey, Principal-in-Charge; Mahmoud Mehrabian, AIA, Project Executive; Pierre Trombert, Design Director; James D. May III, Project Architect;...
With hospitals currently spending billions of dollars annually on new construction and remodeling, it is increasingly important for healthcare industry leaders to view their dollars as an investment that yields measurable results. This applies to the clinical,...
The goals of many healthcare facility upgrades, expansions, and renovations in the Interior Health Authority of British Columbia, Canada, are much the same as elsewhere: to improve the quality and delivery of care, increase staff recruitment and retention, and...
Many architects and their clients share a common lament: “The building didn't turn out the way we hoped.” While the usual list of suspects—budget, time frame, operational requirements, regulations, team dynamics, and (my personal favorite) impracticality—are trotted...
Stick your neck out, and your odds of winning are at least 50/50. You can increase those odds by careful preparation, by constant learning, and by striving to stretch your own boundaries. —Jim Whittaker It's not often that, as an adult, you get to go to...
In the healthcare design world, we are living in what a Chinese philosopher once called “interesting times”—and pronounced them a “curse.” There is no question that “interesting times” are characterized by a host of new ideas, of new ways of doing things. And the...
In 1991 I began creating what I call Solar Spectrum Environmental Artworks, using prisms and mirrors to harness the sun's power to create rainbows in architectural spaces where people live and work. Four years later I asked the great American scientist Dr. Jonas Salk,...
Philosophy The guiding research and educational philosophy of Texas A&M University's Architecture for Health program, which was established in 1966, is for its students and faculty to undertake actual case-study projects with clients who have real needs, real...
Banners and sunscreens Rainier can provide fabric displays for any environment. Unique print or appliqué banners of any size or shape provide wayfinding; AdShades serve simultaneously as sunscreens and advertising. The company provided Virginia Mason, a Seattle...
Just as a team approach is used to treat a serious medical condition, a team effort can result in a more effective wayfinding system for a complex healthcare environment. Unfortunately, teams can sometimes play shorthanded. The need for a new wayfinding system usually...
