Healthcare Design - February 2017 - 36

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The use of mock-ups has become an effective tool
to improve designs, help gain consensus, and
reduce costly mistakes-long before a permanent
space is ever built. But which variation is right
for your project? By Brenna Costello

T CAN BE difficult for someone who

isn't an architect to understand a
space plan just by looking at 2-D
drawings. Designers frequently
use 3-D modeling and rendering, often in real-time rather
than in finished plans and drawings, to show the design intent of a building. But this method doesn't always provide
a sense of scale and function. One way to address this challenge is through the use of an architectural mock-up: a full-scale representation of a particular component of the design.
Mock-ups are typically used for elements that will be repeated
throughout the building, such as a patient room, or to prototype and
test new design ideas or operational models. Each type of mock-up has
its own purpose, costs, and benefits and can be completed in varying
degrees to allow clinical and support staff to simulate different patient
care scenarios, making sure that the design provides an adequate and
functional space to perform their tasks while providing a healing environment for patients.
In a 2016 survey conducted by SmithGroupJJR of healthcare design
professionals, owner's representatives, and owners, 100 percent of the respondents said they used a mock-up process in the past five years. Of that
group, 98 percent said that the process was integral to the design and/or

FEBRUARY 2017

A full-scale, functional
patient room mock-up
(inset) was constructed
off-site for Holy Cross
Germantown Hospital in
Germantown, Md. The
process helped the clinical
staff and designers to
realize necessary changes
and incorporate them
into the completed labor
and delivery suite, such
as adjusting the height of
staff work surfaces and
providing extra storage
areas.

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very beneficial to the final design of the facility. Respondents' preferences for mock-up type
were more mixed, with a majority recommending some sort of physical representation, such as
outlining a space with tape or using cardboard
walls; only one-half favored a fully functional
build-out, primarily due to space, time, and cost
constraints. Virtual reality mock-ups were used
least of all but are increasing in popularity as the
technology improves and prices come down.
Here's a look at some frequently used mock-up
processes.
Tape out the space. When time and resources are limited, you can get a sense of how staff
and patients will operate in a space by using tape
on a floor to outline walls, key fixtures, and other
elements. This activity can be done quickly, allowing design and user teams to rapidly explore
and refine multiple options. It also gives the clinical team a sense of scale, proportion, and maneuverability without the cost of building a full
room. It can be used to mock-up a single room or
an entire department. Organizations will often
use an old warehouse or even parking lots when
utilizing this method.
Foam core/cardboard mock-up. This approach is an inexpensive way to create a 3-D
space that can help the staff better understand a
design concept, including wall placement, casework, and door swings, as well as other large
objects that can sometimes create pinch points
within a space. This is the most commonly used
mock-up and is often done at an off-site location due to space constraints in most hospitals.
Much like the taping scenario, it can be used to
mock-up a single room or an entire department.
Off-site, full build. Fully built-out and
equipped mock-ups of patient rooms, clinical
spaces, and even nursing units or departments
offer users the benefit of seeing and touching the
final finishes, storing materials in the casework,
testing out different cleaning products, etc. Most
importantly, multiple patient scenarios can be
tested, allowing clinical staff to confirm that the
room functions as required for them to perform
their daily tasks. Plumbing and lighting fixtures,
switch locations, circuiting, and nurse call responders are often supplied and installed in
working condition to provide as true a representation as possible. It's best to build this mock-up
at an off-site location to allow the hospital staff
to test these scenarios without decommissioning a bed on an existing unit. However, this pro-

©ALAN KARCHMER; ©SMITHGROUPJJR 2016 (INSET)

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Healthcare Design - February 2017

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Healthcare Design - February 2017