advancing healthcare architecture
Industry insight
Hospital Build is a global event at which senior managers and commissioners of healthcare facilities meet, network and do business with investors, planners, builders, contractors, architects and designers.
Hospital Build Asia
11-13 May, 2010 Marina Bay Sands Singapore
Hospital Build Middle East
1-3 June, 2010 Dubai International Exhibition Centre UAE
Hospital Build China
9-11 March, 2011 Beijing Exhibition Centre China
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Hospital Build Europe
4-6 April, 2011 Nuremberg Germany
“Another challenge in the Middle East is the lack
of experienced consultants that have designed or delivered many facilities before, or have considered mechanical engineering requirements. Some edu- cation needs to happen.”
“However, due to the major hospitals under devel-
opment – such as the new Al Mafraq hospital in Abu Dhabi and the new Al Ain hospital – we’re seeing more experienced contractors and consultants come into the market, and that is definitely a good thing. “At the moment, other challenges revolve around
the local authority guidelines. But I’d like to applaud the health authorities of Abu Dhabi and Dubai for forming and putting high quality individuals in place – we’re now due for some very firm guidelines which will speed up the approval process and make it inline with global standards.” Khemakhem adds that the financial crisis has imposed
a budgetary challenge on most healthcare projects. He says: “Many things on the designs are being taken off because of the current economic environment. “One of our projects, the University Hospital in
Dubai Healthcare City, has been put on hold but we’re expecting to go back and work on it in the summer. All of our other projects are going ahead, including the Sidra Hospital in Doha and the American Hospital expansion in Dubai, which is near completion.” AECOM Ellerbe Becket also worked on City Hospital
in Dubai Healthcare City, which is in full operation. Higgins adds: “Like in most other sectors of real
estate, the available of liquidity in the marketplace is making it difficult to realise healthcare facilities.”
CLASSIC MISTAKES
There are several traps that hospital designs can fall into, as Khemakhem explains: “I think the classic mistake is mixing patient traffic and back-of-house traffic. If a patient falls into a space that they’re not meant to be in they become anxious and when they finally get to their destination it becomes much more difficult for a doctor to treat them. “We always try to separate the patient traffic
from the staff traffic. At the very least we will try to identify the circulation, so people know which cor- ridors are intended for patients, staff or both.”
“One of the biggest issues in hospitals is looking after staff – turnover is very high. A clinical centre is a very
intense environment – and patient care will be enhanced if the clinical staff feel looked after. “This can be done by providing things like childcare centres and break-out spaces inside the facilities. Also, if training and education areas are included then staff will have an incentive to stay, plus you build expertise.” Khemakhem adds: “You have to make healthcare facilities comfortable for the staff. It’s important to have break areas,
such as lounges, and we’ll try to make these areas as comfortable as possible by creating a home-like or hotel-like envi- ronment. The other staff areas will be very work intensive, so they need to be cleanable and very easy to maintain.”
ADDRESSING THE CHALLENGES
Khemakhem highlights the extremely complex nature of designing a healthcare facility. “In my experience, healthcare facilities are the most challenging spaces to design due to the number of restrictions. A huge issue is medical planning – you have to work with every department, such as radiology, and they all have specific needs and requirements. “Also, there are many restrictions relating to hygiene. In addition, the building will contain several components other
than healthcare – there will be catering, retail, and also community spaces. The success of your project depends on how you bring these components together – we try to make it as cohesive as possible. “It’s a challenge to create a healthcare facility that has the aesthetics of a five-star hotel but is also functional
and sustainable. But there is a way to find a balance, providing you have the right client.” Higgins adds: “Over here, a big challenge is pinning down the client’s brief in order to create a clinical model of
care that makes sense commercially and clinically, and which sits within authority approvals and design guidelines. We have a relatively immature market compared to the rest of the world.
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/apr-may 2010
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