Healthcare Design - August 2016 - 70

H E A LT H C A R E D E S I G N S H O W C A S E

Making a statement
Community-inspired aesthetics and indoor/outdoor connections were
on display in this year's Healthcare Design Showcase, but jurors are still
looking for more solutions on staff spaces and places where families and
care teams can collaborate By Anne DiNardo
reflecting on this year's Healthcare Design

Showcase, jurors noted that among the discussions
about Lean approaches and wayfinding and
operational efficiencies, there was a considerable
amount of attention-positive attention-paid to
projects' overall design statements. "The quality of
submissions seems to suggest project sponsors are
invested in the architecture of their buildings more
than ever before," says juror Peter Lambur, a principal
at Peter Lambur Architect Inc. (Vancouver, British
Columbia). "Most projects did something more than
right and even extraordinary in some instances."
In reviewing the program's 55 submissions
(all of which were approved for publication, an
unusual occurrence), the jurors noted the use
of authentic materials, both inside and out, and
thoughtful details that were carried through
into patient rooms and treatment spaces. Many
projects also illustrated an effort not just to plop a
building down within a community or on a site but
to add or renovate one that's designed to reflect
the community, embrace its cultural nuances,
and set the stage for a welcoming and stress-free
experience.
More specialized projects
While acknowledging several large new-build
projects among this year's submissions, jurors
weren't surprised to see the majority of projects
reflect the ongoing shift to ambulatory care models,
with noticeably more specialty-based projects this
year. A large number of submissions were cancer
centers, which jurors attribute to the increasing
prevalence of diagnoses and focus on earlier intervention as well as the potential revenue stream for
these complex treatment regimens attracting more
providers. "We've been hearing of reports on the
decline of family practice and general medicine for
years and that seems to be bearing fruit," says Toni
Gocke Wyre, senior associate at Polk Stanley Wilcox
Architects (Little Rock, Ark.). "On a positive note, the
healthcare industry is recognizing that cancer treatment facilities need to promote healing and prioritize
the patient experience."
This year's two Award of Merit winners illustrate
that effort with striking façades and some fresh
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approaches to bringing daylight into treatment
spaces and improving a patient's sense of control
within the environment. "Some projects created
such wonderful infusion bays that it becomes
difficult to accept bays where patients are lined
up in chairs around the perimeter in a room and
given a curtain divider to separate them," Wyre
says. "Just because this has been the standard for
the last decade or so doesn't mean we can't do
better."
Evolving aesthetics
This year's crop of Showcase projects included a
number of facilities featuring white interiors with
touches of color delivered through furnishings,
artwork, and connections to nature. However,
jurors were divided on whether these approaches
reflected a more refined approach to healthcare
interiors or were simply a backlash to the hospitality-driven look of years past. Sheila Bosch, assistant
professor, department of interior design, at the
University of Florida, College of Design, Construction, and Planning, appreciated the use of neutral
colors and white walls on many of the submissions.
"They were used beautifully in a way that didn't feel
cold or institutional."
Janet Kobylka, lead interior designer and
transition planner at Workplace Solutions Inc.
(Virginia Beach, Va.), says the move toward
a lighter color palette could be a reaction to
statistics on healthcare-associated infections
and the desire to create safer environments.
"The focus is moving toward a clean, germ-free
environment," she says. "The use of white in
healthcare design is a reflection of this trend."
However, Steven Blye, senior design director
and associate director of healthcare at Legat
Architects (Chicago), doesn't welcome the
shift toward more clinical-looking and white
environments with high-tech clinical finishes.
"It almost seemed to be a search for a
new 'style,' away from the warm, homelike
hospitality finishes, despite the fact that
evidence continues to state that these latter
environments infused with nature reduce
patient stress and promote healing," he says.

This year's crop
of Showcase
projects included
a number of
facilities featuring
predominantly
white interiors with
touches of color
delivered through
furnishings,
artwork, and
connections to
nature.
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