{"id":52897,"date":"2022-02-08T08:36:46","date_gmt":"2022-02-08T13:36:46","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/healthcaredesignmagazine.com\/?p=52897"},"modified":"2022-06-01T17:03:10","modified_gmt":"2022-06-01T21:03:10","slug":"inner-circle","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/healthcaredesignmagazine.com\/trends\/inner-circle\/","title":{"rendered":"How The Pandemic Is Changing Healthcare Interiors"},"content":{"rendered":"

In early 2020, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center<\/a> (MSK) opened the doors to its new David H. Koch Center for Cancer Care<\/a> in Manhattan. The building had been designed eight years prior, with the vision aspiring to deliver an aesthetic and functionality that would remain relevant many years after that opening. \u201cWhere we were in 2020 was about looking ahead,\u201d says Melissa Dallal, project manager, interior design, at MSK (New York).<\/p>\n

\"\"And the effort paid off immediately, with details such as handwashing sinks in waiting rooms and a vast variety of seating and gathering areas helping to facilitate safe operations amid the outbreak of COVID-19 that soon followed. It also represented a next-level interiors approach for MSK, building on an existing aesthetic direction and inspired by other design sectors, primarily residential, to create a comforting, even inviting environment that patients would look forward to spending time in for treatment, Dallal says.<\/p>\n

Dallal recently joined a group of fellow design professionals to discuss the evolution of interiors since the pandemic began, including where aesthetics stand today and how new approaches to healthcare spaces are influencing product specification and design solutions.<\/p>\n

The Healthcare Design<\/em> roundtable was moderated by Editor-in-Chief Jennifer Kovacs Silvis and also included Edwin Beltran, principal, designer at NBBJ<\/a> (Columbus, Ohio); Amy Sickeler, design principal and principal at Perkins&Will<\/a> (Atlanta); and Kristin Ellingsen, facilities space planner, campus planning, at City of Hope<\/a> (Duarte, Calif.) and immediate past president of the American Academy of Healthcare Interior Designers<\/a>.<\/p>\n

While COVID-19 didn\u2019t change the trajectory the industry was on, it has propelled interior solutions focused on creating safe, cleanable environments that achieve health and wellness, warmth and comfort, and future flexibility and budget consciousness.<\/p>\n

Healthcare interiors for infection prevention<\/strong><\/h2>\n

As 2020 progressed and healthcare institutions managed daily operations alongside patient fears and heightened infection prevention protocols, short-term solutions such as plexiglass dividers and removal of seating in public areas emerged. Other immediate shifts, however, have inspired enduring changes to project design.<\/p>\n

\"\"For example, industry practice had long been to maximize seating in waiting areas. But quickly, the alternative process of calling patients into the building when a physician was ready to see them became commonplace for social distancing, a solution that\u2019s now sparked a move away from that once-standard space.<\/p>\n

\u201cNobody really wanted to sit in a waiting room for a long period of time,\u201d Sickeler says. \u201cI think we\u2019ll see a lot of clients continue to do that, out of convenience for patients.\u201d Instead, she says, Perkins&Will is seeing increasing use of waiting spaces to support programming tied to education and prevention as well as consultation.<\/p>\n

Outdoor areas were also leveraged, where possible, to provide more access to fresh air. And now what had been a difficult design element to get funded is beginning to be viewed as valuable programmable space that moves the needle on integrating nature with health-focused experiences. For example, Beltran says, outdoor areas are being designed to complement the arrival experience in place of extravagant lobbies and serve as destinations for dining, respite, or exercise.<\/p>\n

Designing for healthcare staff<\/h2>\n

Meanwhile, spaces dedicated to healthcare staff are being re-evaluated, as well. For example, as many nonclinical healthcare staffers continue to work remotely, providers are rethinking the way space is used when employees do come on-site. \u201cPeople may not be in the office full time if they don\u2019t have patient-facing positions, so when they are in, they\u2019re collaborating. Building in more collaboration spaces is what we\u2019ve been focused on,\u201d MSK\u2019s Dallal says, adding that energizing, lounge-like environments are being created for that purpose.<\/p>\n

\"\"For those who remain on campus daily, a variety of staff amenities are being embraced, as well, the group says, with organizations especially working to respond to the toll taken on healthcare workers throughout the pandemic. \u201c[Clients are] creating amazing environments that go beyond just a break room,\u201d Beltran says, with priority placed on dedicated food venues and other respite space offerings. Ellingsen says City of Hope is designing five floors of a new facility with patios outside staff lounges.<\/p>\n

Residential design inspiration<\/h2>\n

In terms of the aesthetics of these spaces and healthcare in general, the panel agrees that despite enhanced awareness of the spread of COVID-19 and other pathogens, design isn\u2019t moving toward the institutional. Rather, it\u2019s the opposite: residential. \u201c[The residential design trend] has always crept up and then gone back down, but that request is now coming from multiple clients,\u201d Sickeler says,<\/p>\n

In fact, Ellingsen has coined the term \u201chealthy-dential\u201d as opposed to the popular \u201cresimercial\u201d used for the fusion of residential and commercial environments, to \u201ccut out the commercial\u201d and place focus on healthcare.<\/p>\n

How that more residential approach is being applied to interiors is defined by an effort to maintain cleanability while still being inviting to patients who are potentially hesitant to visit healthcare spaces as the pandemic persists. \u201cIt\u2019s trying to walk that fine line of warm and comfortable and softer than it was before, because it\u2019s not easy [for patients] coming back,\u201d Ellingsen says.<\/p>\n

Specifying healthcare design products<\/h2>\n

That effort is inspiring new approaches to product specification, as well. At MSK, more resilient flooring is being used instead of carpet, but Dallal and her colleagues are seeking out options that offer visual interest such as a wood look in patterning like chevron or herringbone.<\/p>\n

\u201cThings that give you that residential feel, we\u2019re definitely doing more of. And we\u2019re looking for products that allow us to do that,\u201d she says. Sickeler adds that carpet isn\u2019t disappearing, though, and is still being specified for nonacute spaces. \u201cWe\u2019re still using high-quality carpet \u2026 the cleanability has proven carpet to be very durable,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n

But when hard surfaces are specified, Dallal says she\u2019s even more cognizant of introducing other soft finishes\u2014for example, in a recent surgical waiting lounge project. \u201cWhen we were doing that, we thought about the furniture and fabrics and that they had to be extra plush, extra warm and fuzzy,\u201d she says. \u201cFinding the right fabrics to balance that are a challenge in the marketplace. We did find them, but those are few and far between and we\u2019d love to see more of those options.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ellingsen adds that City of Hope has been exploring the use of more textured vinyls on chair seats, for example, but combined with a softer, bleach-cleanable fabric on the seat back to achieve a higher level of warmth.<\/p>\n

Additionally, Dallal discussed MSK\u2019s growing use of bleach-cleanable wallcoverings to add visual interest to a space and celebrated new options being introduced by manufacturers, such as wall protection in a greater variety of colors and textures, to better facilitate the residential trend even in stringent healthcare environments. \u201cManufacturers in general seem a little more awake now,\u201d she says. \u201cKeep going.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ellingsen agrees, saying she\u2019s seeking manufacturers who will listen to the needs of an organization and help answer them. \u201c[It\u2019s about] being able to be flexible and think outside the box a little bit with us to find the right products or tweak the ones that we have,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n

Looking forward, the designers anticipate the \u201chealthy-dential\u201d trend to persist alongside continued consideration for the ways building users are navigating and responding to spaces. For example, Dallal says, \u201cbeing mindful of proximity, maybe in a way you weren\u2019t before, and balancing the need for privacy and communal spaces. What\u2019s the experience of a person coming into your space in relation to other people? That may feel different now [due to COVID-19].\u201d<\/p>\n

Additionally, mounting efforts to address diversity and inclusion in the built environment are further inspiring recent designs, specifically solutions that respond to the unique needs of the community being served. The group shared design elements ranging from prayer rooms to accommodate Muslim populations to signage in multiple languages to varied chair heights to support ranges of physical ability. \u201cIt\u2019s knowing what the demographics are, who you\u2019re talking to, who you\u2019re inviting in.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s one of the big elements of program design and whether or not a building is successful,\u201d Sickeler says.<\/p>\n

The future of healthcare interiors<\/h2>\n

As projects move forward amid COVID-19, persistent challenges are requiring interior designers to be nimble and adopt new solutions.<\/p>\n

\"\"For example, Beltran says he\u2019s seeing more clients embrace Target Value Design as their mode of project delivery, where projects are designed to meet a given project estimate and that estimate, or value, might change throughout construction. \u201cYou have to live up to that value,\u201d he says, bringing to bear the notion of \u201cessentialism\u201d that he\u2019s seen influence interiors amid the pandemic.<\/p>\n

Beltran says this essentialist mindset could be referenced back to early modernist work, such as the Alvar Aalto-designed Paimio Sanatorium in Finland that introduced purposeful uses of color and materials to encourage health and well-being, minus design extravagances or unnecessary decorations.<\/p>\n

The 2022 solution, he says, is design that strives to be \u201cmaterial agnostic\u201d where feasible. \u201cThe gestures and quality of the environment you\u2019re designing will hold up even if you play up or down the level of finishes you\u2019re proposing for the space. You\u2019re truly designing until the end because that value is constantly being assessed\u00a0and helps the designer focus on the essential concepts that should be upheld,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n

Beyond managing budgets, designers must also respond to demands for flexible and adaptable spaces. \u201cHow can an exam room, at a moment\u2019s notice, turn into telemedicine or a consult room or even an infusion space?\u201d Beltran says. At MSK, Dallal says flexibility is being achieved through a growing use of modular solutions, such as demountable walls, including in ORs, as well as furniture in place of casework.<\/p>\n

On top of meeting more traditional program shifts, future flexibility also must accommodate another COVID-19-type event. \u201cHow do you design for pandemic mode? I don\u2019t recall a project that I\u2019ve worked on in the past where that was ever a part of the conversation,\u201d Beltran says. \u201cThat is very much a part of how every public space is designed today.\u201d<\/p>\n

Achieving that via design might include opening up campuses to have several entries as opposed to one front door to allow better distribution of sick\/well ingress and egress as well as division built into a space such as an emergency department plan that separates \u201chot and cold\u201d patients.<\/p>\n

Recognizing the number of elective surgeries that were canceled at the onset of COVID-19 and again amid the Omicron surge, Sickeler adds an additional approach to consider is dedicating a single building for pandemic response or specific floors of a patient tower to avoid those types of shutdowns. \u201cHaving an infectious disease building or protocol, I\u2019m not seeing it yet, and I hope that we will. I think [COVID-19] is just the beginning of infectious disease, and I don\u2019t think these types of events are going to end.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ellingsen agrees, adding that such considerations could become a baseline for the industry going forward and integrated into all projects. \u201cThat would push the level of design where it\u2019s like ADA or universal design, where it\u2019s good for everyone,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n

Jennifer Kovacs Silvis is editor-in-chief of Healthcare Design. She can be reached at jennifer.silvis@emeraldx.com<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Healthcare Design brought together interior design experts to discuss how healthcare aesthetics, functionality, and product requirements have evolved during and due to the COVID-19 pandemic.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":13604,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"inline_featured_image":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[530],"tags":[],"acf":[],"aioseo_notices":[],"parsely":{"version":"1.1.0","meta":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","headline":"How The Pandemic Is Changing Healthcare Interiors","url":"http:\/\/healthcaredesignmagazine.com\/trends\/inner-circle\/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"http:\/\/healthcaredesignmagazine.com\/trends\/inner-circle\/"},"thumbnailUrl":"","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":""},"articleSection":"Trends","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Tracey Walker"}],"creator":["Tracey Walker"],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"HCD Magazine","logo":""},"keywords":[],"dateCreated":"2022-02-08T13:36:46Z","datePublished":"2022-02-08T13:36:46Z","dateModified":"2022-06-01T21:03:10Z"},"rendered":"