Hospitals are one of the institutional properties that play a significant role in every society. Many people all around the world rely on hospitals for their health. Indeed, without hospitals, many people’s lives will be in danger.
Since hospitals are essential properties, designing and working on them is complex. Many professionals, including architects, engineers, stakeholders, and other offices, work together on a hospital construction project. They spend years of comprehensive planning, detailing, and reviewing before officially approving a plan.
Indeed, when designing a hospital, professionals consider many critical factors to ensure it’s a facility that will provide the utmost comfort and care to its stakeholders. If you’re curious about those factors, let’s discuss some essential points they consider when designing a hospital in this post.
1 – The purpose of the property
A hospital’s purpose is the first thing professionals consider when working on a hospital design. Since most hospitals have more than one building designated for a specific use, understanding each property’s future use is essential.
From its purpose, professionals working on the plan will get to work around it and incorporate it throughout their design process. Also, when people working on the property design understand its purpose, dismissing proposals and options that don’t work well with the hospital plan is simple.
2 – They consider the expected occupancy rate of the hospital
Not all hospitals are the same. The thing is, even social classes exist in this essential institution. On top of that, some people have a negative connotation towards government and even small private hospitals. As a result, every hospital’s occupancy rate varies.
You’ll notice that small private hospitals have fewer patients and demand than big and reputable private ones. Maybe it has something to do with the thinking that the bigger the hospital is, the more experienced professionals work there. So when people work on a hospital design, they consider the expected occupancy rate because that’s where they lay out the floor plan and overall design.
3 – They consider the hospital’s possible plans for expansions and renovations
As we know, constructing a property is costly. And hospital construction is no exception to that. As a matter of fact, building one is more expensive because of its technicalities and importance. Because of that, when a hospital needs to accommodate more patient demands, they opt for renovations instead of building a new building from scratch.
Professionals working on a hospital design incorporate the possibility of an expansion or renovation. Why? So that when that time comes, it won’t be too complex for engineers and architects to prepare the property for renovation. It’s important to remember that not all properties are suitable for renovation. A building’s age, design, and components should pass to be apt.
4 – They integrate department and office flow for accessibility
Another essential factor that professionals consider in a hospital design is accessibility. A seamless flow and access to specific departments and offices in a hospital is a critical factor that affects patients’ overall experience. Aside from that, medical professionals and workers would have a smooth workflow if the hospital’s accessible.
That’s why when professionals design a hospital, they integrate department and office flow for accessibility. They outline specific floors in the hospital following the relativity of every office and department. That way, when the hospital starts its operation, offices and departments won’t have to travel far to communicate with each other.
5 – They consider patient movement and experience
I mentioned in my introduction that many people worldwide rely on hospitals for their health. But it is more than that. Many also treat hospitals as their second home. That’s why patient experience in a hospital is a very critical factor.
When designing a hospital, professionals consider the movements patients perform. Why? So they can incorporate accurate measurements for corridors, pathways, waiting areas, and other access ways. Remember that different people go in and out of the premises daily. Aside from patients, health professionals and business professionals visit the hospital. That’s why considering patient movement and experience is a critical factor designers should prioritise, too.
6 – Adequate ventilation systems for patient comfort
In regards to patient experience is comfort. It’s necessary to recognise that patients, medical workers, and visitors spend long hours on hospital premises. Aside from movement flow, an adequate ventilation system is critical in every hospital.
Engineers and architects work on hospital blueprints to place the ventilation systems evenly and accordingly. Aside from that, clean air is a standard that every hospital must have and follow. After all, many patient conditions can be at stake if the quality of the air they intake is contaminated.
7 – The quality and type of materials they’ll use for the project
Lastly, they consider the quality and kind of materials they’ll use for the hospital project. It should be clear by now how essential hospitals are. There’s a reason professionals and stakeholders spend years planning, designing, and revising their healthcare projects. That includes ensuring that every material they’ll use will contribute to the quality and long-term building of the facility.
On top of that, hospitals undergo thorough sanitation and disinfection daily. That’s why its materials like flooring, paint and more should be high quality and won’t fade or chip when cleaned. It is one of the factors they also consider the most because the materials will stand the test of time as the hospital operates through the years.
When designing a hospital, you must consider every aspect of patient, operation, and employee factors.
Indeed, hospital design is one of the construction projects that professionals work on rigorously. After all, many life-and-death situations and decisions happen there daily. You must ensure that a hospital’s design contributes to and influences a seamless flow on the premises. Starting with these seven essential factors will help you ensure that a hospital design would meet every patient and hospital need that could occur in the future.
Written by Bianca Banda