Care home design
spread any virus present in one location throughout the entire facility - making it totally unsuitable. Heat recovery ventilation, on the
other hand, is based on 100 per cent fresh air, with all contaminated air exhausted to outside. Viruses attached to small particles will not deposit easily in ventilation ducts – they will normally be carried out by the air flow - and any that do settle will become unviable over time. With supply air provided to living
accommodation, either communal or individual flats, and extracts located in associated en-suite bathrooms, a healthy throughput of filtered fresh air can be safely accommodated. The hub of the ventilation system is
the heat exchanger, which keeps the air streams physically separated while transferring 80-90 per cent of the heat energy from exhaust to intake. These should be of the plate exchange variety as there is a slight risk with rotary thermal or enthalpy wheels that virus particles might be carried in droplets from one stream to the other. The healthcare industry’s move
towards more flexible, standardised room sizes for maximum useful accommodation would allow ventilation systems that provide a dedicated fresh air supply and extract to each room design. This can be capitalised upon so that issues of infection control and
acoustic privacy can be readily accommodated. Heat recovery ventilation is also
effective at maintaining indoor humidity levels between 40 and 60 per cent, which research shows provides the optimal conditions for a healthy building. This is in part because in this range our nasal passages, throat and lungs are all properly protected from pathogen attack as the mucosa - a protective fluid that lines the interior tissues - are at optimal viscosity
and make it difficult for bacteria to penetrate our tissues. Greater than 60 per cent humidity and
bacteria, viruses, mites and asthma become more prevalent: below 40 per cent humidity and respiratory infections, ozone and asthma also begin to rise. Additionally, below 40 per cent electrostatic charge becomes more dominant in the movement and transportation of dust particles. Therefore, when choosing finish materials, their effect on relative humidity should be a significant consideration.
Contactable surfaces minimised Touching shared surfaces is one of the greatest threats for cross- contamination, so minimising the number of shared surfaces with some technologies that are not new are an obvious design choice. This would cover gesture-driven taps,
which include adjustable temperature settings for optimum washing comfort, passive infrared (PIR) sensor or movement sensitive light switches, as well as free swing or automatic doors. Indeed, doors can be largely left open if they are sound sensitive and designed to close on an alarm system. There are also antibacterial and
In a new design, incorporating a spacious lobby at the heart of small ‘pods’ of living areas in the surrounds would be a simple and effective design barrier to infection
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antiviral finishes that can reduce cross- contamination so a move away from petroleum-based (plastic) or metal surfaces would be advantageous. One design issue that may need addressing is the use of textured surfaces that are used to help with orientation for the visually impaired and dementia patients as they present more of a cleaning challenge.
www.thecarehomeenvironment.com• December 2020
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