HDR's Duncan Griffin

Photo courtesy of HDR © 2022 Olli Tumelius for Rouse Photography

In this series, Healthcare Design asks leading healthcare design professionals, firms, and owners to tell us what has their attention and share their ideas on the subject.

Duncan Griffin is director of sustainability, health, at HDR (Seattle).

Here, he shares the top five trends getting his attention right now including investing in smart control for building envelopes, energy-efficient building systems, and strategies to support patient comfort.

  1. Patient comfort and the healing process

Comfort—whether patient, visitor, or staff—is a priority for our healthcare partners. The experience of place is at the core of a healthcare facility’s function and providing a comfortable environment is a simple yet critical part of that.

It’s important to recognize that following building codes alone does not automatically result in comfortable spaces. Using building envelope analysis, computational fluid dynamics, or other tools can help accomplish this goal.

One aspect that can be improved is the temperature in patient rooms. High air change rates keep patient rooms sanitary; however, an unintended consequence is inconsistent temperature across the room due to the movement of air.

Current ambient air thermostats appear to be inadequate for measuring the unique variables which create this effect, which can make it difficult to set the desired temperature. Sensors in the room that use infrared sensors to “see” air velocity could help solve this issue.

  1. Investing in smart controls

Beyond the inherent value in creating a better experience for patients, investing in comfort can save healthcare systems money over time. Smart control of building envelopes minimizes peak demand on a building’s mechanical systems, allowing for appropriately sized power plants to meet code-required air change rates, saving energy and budget.

Using integrated design solutions can cut first costs as well in the form of reduced demand on mechanical systems, a critical issue in a time when project budgets are increasingly tight.

The design team plays a critical role in helping clients balance competing priorities. Tracking the value of the entire effort with a smart envelope, such as the reduction in first costs for utility systems, is key to the value provided by design efforts.

  1. Prioritizing healthy material selection

The building materials in a healthcare facility can have a profound impact on occupant well-being, and much attention is being paid to healthy material selection during the design process to safeguard both patients and employees.

Care providers, for example, have above-average rates of adult-onset asthma in part due to chemicals present in healthcare settings, as well as disinfectants and sterilants used to clean interiors.

Designers can do their part by specifying materials that disclose ingredients in their products and do not negatively impact environmental and human health.

Another example is choosing materials that create an optimal environment for how the healthcare facility is used. For example, non-slip floors can reduce stress on employees who are on foot for hours at a time.

Materials that foster a quieter environment can also ease stress of employees and patients, like the rubber flooring in the neonatal intensive care unit at Benioff Oakland Children’s Hospital in Oakland, Calif. It creates a quieter, more comfortable, cleanable environment that’s absent of toxic products and helps reduce the physical stress of care providers who are on their feet for long shifts.

  1. Inefficiency in high-wattage equipment

Hospitals contain many pieces of high-wattage equipment that’s energy inefficient, ranging from data centers to vending machines and kitchen freezer systems. For example, vending machines constantly produce heat, meaning hospitals must expend energy to operate them but also cool the rooms that house the equipment.

These interconnected parts of a hospital are often overlooked when discussing the energy efficiency of a building. One way to address heating and cooling inefficiencies is integrating a chilled water loop, which uses excess heat from a building to provide a non-seasonal, consistent cooling demand to a heat-pump based solution.

This type of installation comes with a cost; however, the approach can help support electric and energy-efficient  solutions, which can contribute to an organization’s decarbonization and energy-saving goals.

  1. Addressing growing stresses on healthcare organizations

A range of stresses are impacting the economics of healthcare systems, from staffing shortages and accelerated costs of pharmaceuticals to supply chain availability, rising construction costs, and growing demand for behavioral health services and patient beds.

These stressors impact our clients’ budgets and their ability to develop facility-based solutions to address these issues. One way to help clients is with integration of continuous process improvement within existing facilities, leading to changes in new buildings to reflect more efficient practices.

Small yet intentional design decisions can yield benefits for patients, caregivers, the community, and environment. For example, sustainability and decarbonization strategies dually influence occupant well-being and patient comfort. Healing gardens with native plantings and pollinators can rejuvenate a site’s natural landscape and aid in stormwater management solutions.

While there may be architectural and structural responses to some of these challenges, many require careful re-evaluation of our care systems for long-term sustainability.

Duncan Griffin is director of sustainability, health, at HDR (Seattle) and can be reached at [email protected].

Want to share your Top 5? Contact Managing Editor Tracey Walker at [email protected] for submission instructions.