SUSTAINABLE HOSPITAL DESIGN Modular design also allows the
development of a healthcare system that is not only resilient, but also environmentally responsible through the reuse of materials. As D. Campbell- Lendrum et al explained, ‘to ensure economic and environmental sustainability [the healthcare system] should also support the shift towards a circular economy in health (and in society generally), through rethinking models of care – including optimising the use of telemedicine, minimising consumption and wastage, and making more sustainable purchasing decisions’.1
The Martini Hospital Figure 4: An exterior view of the Sammy Ofer Heart Building in Tel Aviv.
Moreover, they make the surroundings more attractive, and act as places of refuge for users, with studies finding that access to greenery helps calm users, reducing stress and anxiety,5
abundant in hospital environments.6
which can be Green
spaces also help the healing process. Even a simple visual connection to plants has therapeutic properties, as it decreases patient recovery time,7
and helps patients
leave the hospital feeling calmer and less anxious. Many hospitals thus now look to incorporate green spaces in a variety of ways. The Santa Fe de Bogotá Foundation (Fig. 2) in Colombia, for instance, created an indoor solarium/greenspace (Fig. 3) on the ninth floor, adjacent to the inpatient area, to support recovery and clean the air. It was found that both patients and staff responded positively to the space, resulting in shorter recovery times and a reduction in anxiety.7
The multiple benefits of modular design A report released by the World Health Organization titled ‘Operational framework
‘‘
for building climate resilient health systems’, stated that health should be resilient, which ‘relates to the capacity of the system itself to cope with and manage health risks in a way that the essential functions, identity, and structure of health systems are maintained’. This type of resilience can only be achieved through modular design, which leverages prefabricated construction. Modular design allows any changes to be quickly implemented, and adaptation of the system to meet any needs that may arise, including in emergency situations. The Sammy Ofer Heart Building (Fig. 4), designed by Sharon Architects and Ranni Ziss Architects, is a great example. Thanks to its modular design, the hospital is able to convert its parking garage into an intensive care unit in as little as 72 hours. The building itself contains plenty of buffer space that can be used for different purposes depending on what is necessary to deliver optimal care. Even spaces requiring independent ventilation systems can be built rapidly, as the mechanical systems are also modular.
(Fig. 5) in the Netherlands, designed by Burger Grunstra Architecten, exemplifies these ideas with its industrial, flexible, and demountable building system (IFD), which harnesses a unique assembly system to mount and dismount pieces of the building with ease. The facility’s modular design, along with the IFD system, unlocks advanced flexibility.7 The building is expected to be used as a hospital for 40 years, at which point the government may choose to change its function and turn it into an office space, a shopping mall, or even housing.8
Without
modular design, it would be impossible to achieve true sustainability, as medical infrastructures would be too ‘rigid’ to adapt to and address the changes that the medicine of the future might hold, or to adapt to unforeseen circumstances, including extreme climatic events. To be fully sustainable, a facility should serve the community to which it belongs right up to the end of its lifecycle.
AI-powered systems can help streamline a range of processes, including patient management, making the delivery of healthcare services far more efficient. The adoption of these technologies has already begun, with medical call centres empowering doctors to connect with patients and provide consultation remotely, relieving hospitals of high volumes of patients
74 Health Estate Journal September 2024
Unlocking the power of AI It is essential that hospitals keep up to date with the disruptive technological advancements of our time, and use Artificial Intelligence (AI) to its fullest capacity. AI-powered systems can help streamline a range of processes, including patient management, making the delivery of healthcare services far more efficient. The adoption of these technologies has already begun, with medical call centres empowering doctors to connect with patients and provide consultation remotely, relieving hospitals of high volumes of patients. Among the facilities that are making the most of AI, the Jacobs Medical Center (Fig. 6) in San Diego, California, designed by CannonDesign, and the aforementioned New Karolinska Solna (Fig. 1), designed by White Arkiteketer, stand out. These hospitals have introduced
private rooms that capitalise on digital technologies to enable patients to customise their space and maximise comfort from their bed. The same rooms also favour the use of interdisciplinary examination and medical tools that allow multiple specialists to visit patients, eliminating the need for them to travel to
Ranni Ziss Architects / Sharon Architects
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