It is vital for healthcare architects to design for flexibility in ways that are cost effective over the life of the building, and to redefine the imagery of pediatric hospitals in ways that are both timeless and ageless, state the authors of a new report by Shepley Bulfinch.
In Designing for Children, Shepley Bulfinch pediatric design experts single out design elements that help hospitals achieve those goals. Their advice:
1. Hospitals need to welcome children and their families with imagery, recognizable elements, and nonthreatening spaces that reduce anxieties. The imagery should appeal to children of all age groups, including teenagers.
2. Detailing of casework, floor patterns, colors, and the integration of art determine the character of the hospital. These should work together to capture the imaginations of younger and adolescent patients.
3. The design of human- and child-scaled environments creates a sense of comfort and security, and supports treatment and healing.
4. Design and functionality should be age-adaptive. For example, adolescent patients have a greater need for privacy, especially during illnesses.
5. Designs should allow patients to create personal spaces, explore, and play. This can include letting the patient control the room’s lighting, sound, and privacy, as well as allowing for self-care like access to bathrooms, water, and snacks.
6. Hospitals encourage family involvement when they provide places where visiting family members can sleep, eat, work, participate in care giving, and occasionally escape.
7. Sick kids need escape, too, from the intensity of their illnesses or treatments. Activity spaces, cafés, and gardens are among the places that afford necessary distractions for patients, family, and visitors.
Related Stories
Healthcare Facilities | Jul 19, 2023
World’s first prefab operating room with fully automated disinfection technology opens in New York
The first prefabricated operating room in the world with fully automated disinfection technology opened recently at the University of Rochester Medicine Orthopedics Surgery Center in Henrietta, N.Y. The facility, developed in a former Sears store, features a system designed by Synergy Med, called Clean Cube, that had never been applied to an operating space before. The components of the Clean Cube operating room were custom premanufactured and then shipped to the site to be assembled.
Sponsored | | Jul 12, 2023
Keyless Security for Medical Offices
Keeping patient data secure is a serious concern for medical professionals. Traditional lock-and-key systems do very little to help manage this problem, and create additional issues of their own. “Fortunately, wireless access control — a keyless alternative — eliminates the need for traditional physical keys while providing a higher level of security and centralized control,” says Cliff Brady, Salto Director of Industry Sectors Engagement, North America. Let’s explore how that works.
Healthcare Facilities | Jul 10, 2023
The latest pediatric design solutions for our tiniest patients
Pediatric design leaders Julia Jude and Kristie Alexander share several of CannonDesign's latest pediatric projects.
Healthcare Facilities | Jun 27, 2023
Convenience ranks highly when patients seek healthcare
Healthcare consumers are just as likely to factor in convenience as they do cost when deciding where to seek care and from whom, according to a new survey of 4,037 American adults about their attitudes and preferences as patients. The survey, conducted from April 19-28 by JLL, in many ways confirms the obvious: that older generations seek preventive care more often than younger generations; that insurance coverage is a primary driver for choosing a provider or hospital; and that the quality of service affects the patient experience.
Healthcare Facilities | Jun 27, 2023
A woman-led CM team manages the expansion and renovation of a woman-focused hospital in Nashville
This design-build project includes adding six floors for future growth.
Standards | Jun 26, 2023
New Wi-Fi standard boosts indoor navigation, tracking accuracy in buildings
The recently released Wi-Fi standard, IEEE 802.11az enables more refined and accurate indoor location capabilities. As technology manufacturers incorporate the new standard in various devices, it will enable buildings, including malls, arenas, and stadiums, to provide new wayfinding and tracking features.
Healthcare Facilities | Jun 14, 2023
Design considerations for behavioral health patients
The surrounding environment plays a huge role in the mental state of the occupants of a space, especially behavioral health patients whose perception of safety can be heightened. When patients do not feel comfortable in a space, the relationships between patients and therapists are negatively affected.
Engineers | Jun 14, 2023
The high cost of low maintenance
Walter P Moore’s Javier Balma, PhD, PE, SE, and Webb Wright, PE, identify the primary causes of engineering failures, define proactive versus reactive maintenance, recognize the reasons for deferred maintenance, and identify the financial and safety risks related to deferred maintenance.
Healthcare Facilities | Jun 5, 2023
Modernizing mental health care in emergency departments: Improving patient outcomes
In today’s mental health crisis, there is a widespread shortage of beds to handle certain populations. Patients may languish in the ED for hours or days before they can be linked to an appropriate inpatient program.
Healthcare Facilities | Jun 1, 2023
High-rise cancer center delivers new model for oncology care
Atlanta’s 17-story Winship Cancer Institute at Emory Midtown features two-story communities that organize cancer care into one-stop destinations. Designed by Skidmore, Owings & Merrill (SOM) and May Architecture, the facility includes comprehensive oncology facilities—including inpatient beds, surgical capacity, infusion treatment, outpatient clinics, diagnostic imaging, linear accelerators, and areas for wellness, rehabilitation, and clinical research.
