Posts filed under ‘Hospital Design’
Hospital Design Case Study – Cisco LifeConnections
Hospital Design Project: Cisco LifeConnections Health Center
Location: San Jose, CA
Hospital Interior Design: Jain Malkin Inc
The focus on holistic wellness generated a healthcare design concept that was relevant both thematically and as an organizational component of the space plan. Four rotundas or nodes, each with a large light well/skylight to draw light into the core of the medical clinic express the body, heart, mind, or spirit—principal constructs of holistic healing.
Another feature of the space plan is the ability of caregivers to circulate within and access care suites from “off-stage” corridors. This provides more privacy for staff and prevents patients from overhearing conversations. In turn, patient privacy and dignity are paramount in this medical clinic design which employs all possible measures to assure acoustic integrity.
For more information about this hospital design project please visit our case study: Cisco LifeConnections Health Center
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Writing a Hospital Design Book – The Journey of Discovery
Writing “A Visual Reference to Evidence-Based Design” was a journey of discovery and learning for me. Typically when one writes a new book, one outlines the book in great detail and you know exactly where you want to go. You have a road map and that’s what you’re going to research and what you’re going to talk about. Well, I thought I knew what this book was going to be about in the beginning and, in fact, I thought it was going to be perhaps spiral bound as a notebook with lots of annotated photos depicting how research was applied to support the design of those facilities, whether individual rooms or entire nursing care units.
The book at that time and, in actuality, focuses on acute care, not outpatient, and specifically areas of direct patient care—places where patients spend their time—not lobbies or public spaces. And the reason I did this is because I had seen several recently completed hospitals that had great lobbies and then the design features abruptly ended. Except for the computers I saw, they were very bland, colorless spaces and it took me back to the 1970s, before Planetree. I was shocked that I could be seeing this today. I found this so distressing that I decided to write a manifesto about it. So the book started as a polemic around that issue and I sought out examples of projects that carried design features into patient care areas.
Motivation for Writing Jain Malkin’s Latest Hospital Design Book?
I was motivated to write my latest hospital design book, “A Visual Reference to Evidence-Based Design” after seeing three hospitals in a row that had been completed in the last couple of years and touted as the “ultimate in healing environments” and when I hear that, of course, my expectations are very high.
In all three cases when I personally toured the facilities, I was surprised to see that the design features and nice design amenities stopped in the lobby and, once I passed through the lobby, it was as if I were in a 1970s or 1980s hospital in that I saw a lot of white walls and a very institutional appearance. Except for the computers and monitors that were omnipresent, it was like stepping backwards in time.
What is missing in Procedure and Diagnostic Imaging Rooms?
Scripps Center for Integrative Medicine, La Jolla, CA
That was one of the biggest problems in collecting photos for the book because my focus was on areas where patients spend their time. I was stunned to see how few examples I could find of diagnostic imaging rooms, cardiac cath labs, and various types of procedure and diagnostic spaces that were other than absolutely bereft of any sort of design amenities and color. Do people think that color is harmful? I don’t understand why there is a total lack of color. I think it costs less in terms of expending your design fee to just have a basic neutral color applied to any clinical areas. Make it white and put in a white or gray tile floor and you’re done with it. This just makes me crazy because this is where patients spend their time. (more…)
Design for Hospitals: How Can Design Help with Infection Control? (Part 2)
Continued from Design for Hospitals: How Can Design Help with Infection Control? (Part 1):
Greg and Stacey Renker Pavilion, Rancho Mirage, CA
Manufacturers of healthcare furniture have become so good, in the last few years, at creating furniture that has great functional capabilities yet looks terrific. It looks almost residential or like hospitality furniture. But now, when you understand what the CDC guidelines require, the germicidal agents that hospitals are required to use will strip the paint off a car. Just imagine using these after every patient, or even daily when the same patient is in the room…every day, cleaning the wood arms of a chair or upholstery fabrics with these highly caustic chemicals. They are not going to last very long. So what is the solution? (more…)
Design for Hospitals: How Can Design Help with Infection Control? (Part 1)
Eisenhower Medical Center, Rancho Mirage, CA
It’s hard to answer this in less than 17 paragraphs, but there are many issues. For example, if you are planning a patient room, while we don’t have strong evidence at this moment, it appears that placing the handwash sink close to the entry of the room, as opposed to behind the door (so you don’t have to walk around the door to wash your hands), makes it more likely the care team will use the sink to wash their hands. There are many other issues as well. (more…)
Hospital Design Blog Welcome
Welcome to the Hospital Design Blog provided by Jain Malkin Inc, the leading interior design firm in the health care industry. On the Hospital Design Blog we will be posting information covering various aspects of interior healthcare design including hospital design, hospital planning, clinic design, healthcare construction, color consulting, and evidence-based design.
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