De La Salle University – Dasmariñas

College of Engineering, Architecture, and Technology

Architecture Department
DBB-B City of Dasmariñas, Cavite Philippines

RE200 - Research Work for Final Term

T-ARCH421 Design 8: Site Design of Complex Structure

Planning and Design Fundamentals of Hospital Design

Presented to the Faculty of Architecture Department

College of Engineering, Architecture and Technology
De La Salle University – Dasmariñas
Dasmariñas City, Cavite

Submitted to:
Ar. Juanito Y. Sy

Submitted by:
Oliveros, John Patrick L.
Arc-42

May 16, 2023

 HOSPITAL

A hospital is defined to be a medical institution or facility that provides a wide

variety of healthcare services to patients. This may include diagnosis, treatment, and

care for different illnesses, injuries, and medical problems. Hospitals are often included

with some specialized medical equipment, facilities, and employees to provide patients

with complete medical treatment.

A wide range of healthcare workers work at hospitals, including physicians,

nurses, surgeons’ specialists, and support staff such as technicians and administrative

people. Emergency departments, operating rooms, critical care units, labor and

delivery units, radiology departments, and labs are examples of departments and

specialized units that may be found in hospital.

HOSPITAL (Definition by Britannica Science)

An institution designed, staffed, and equipped to diagnose disease, treat the

sick and injured (both medically and surgically), and house them while they recover.

Contemporary hospitals are also frequently used as a research and teaching facility.

To better serve the community's diverse requirements, the contemporary

hospital has frequently established outpatient clinics, as well as emergency,

psychiatric, and rehabilitation services. Furthermore, "bed less hospitals" only provide

ambulatory (outpatient) treatment and daily surgery. Patients come to the facility for

brief appointments. They may also be admitted for treatment in surgical or medical

units for a portion or the entire day, following which they are discharged for follow-up

by a primary care physician.

 Most countries have had hospitals for a long time. Developing nations, which

account for a major amount of the world's population, often lack sufficient facilities,

equipment, and qualified personnel to handle the volume of people in need of

treatment. As a result, individuals in these nations do not always have access to

modern medication, public health initiatives, or medical treatment, and therefore have

shorter life expectancies.

The hospital as an institution is complicated in industrialized nations, and it is

becoming more so as contemporary technology extends the variety of diagnostic

capabilities and treatment options. A more highly trained workforce is necessary

because of the expanded variety of services and more complicated treatments and

operations accessible. A convergence of medical research, engineering, and

biotechnology has resulted in a large array of novel therapies and apparatus, most of

which need specific training and facilities for usage. As a result, hospitals have grown

more expensive to operate, and health-care executives are more concerned with

issues of quality, cost, efficacy, and efficiency.

Figure 1. Hospital Lobby Design. C. Brittanica

HOSPITAL (Definition by World Health Organization)

Hospitals supplement and enhance the performance of many other

components of the health-care system by providing ongoing access to services for

acute and complicated diseases. They concentrate scarce resources into well-planned

referral networks to react to population health requirements efficiently. They are a

crucial component of Universal Health Coverage (UHC) and will be critical to achieving

the SDGs.

Hospitals are also an important component in the development of a health-care

system. External pressures, health-care system flaws, and hospital-sector

weaknesses are currently pushing a new vision for hospitals in many regions of the

world. In this view, they play an important role in assisting other healthcare

practitioners, as well as in community outreach and home-based services, and they

are necessary in a well-functioning referral network.

Figure 2. Operating Room of a Hospital. c. WHO

 BRIEF HISTORY OF HOSPITAL

Early 4000 BCE

Religions associated some deities with healing as early as 4000 BCE. In Asia

Minor, the temples of Saturn and, subsequently, Asclepius were regarded as healing

centers. Brahmanic hospitals were built as early as 431 BCE in Sri Lanka, while King

Ashoka created a hospital system in Hindustan in 230 BCE. Around 100 BCE, the

Romans created hospitals (valetudinaria) for the treatment of their ill and injured

troops; their care was critical because the strength of ancient Rome was predicated

on the legions' integrity.

Constantine I Christianity

The current notion of a hospital comes from 331 CE, when Roman emperor

Constantine I (Constantine the Great) destroyed all pagan hospitals after converting

to Christianity, allowing for a fresh start. Until that point, the sickness had separated

the patient from the rest of the community. The Christian tradition stressed the

sufferer's strong link to the members of the community, on whom the need to care lay.

As a result, illness became a concern for the Christian church.

Secular Middle Age Institutions

Secular authorities began to sponsor hospital-like facilities during the Middle

Ages. Many cities and towns maintained some form of institutional health care by the

end of the 15th century, with no less than 200 such organizations in England meeting
a rising societal demand. This progressive transition of responsibility for institutional

health care from the church to public authority continued in Europe following Henry

VIII's destruction of the monasteries in 1540, which effectively ended hospital

construction in England for the next 200 years.

HOSPITAL CLASSIFICATIONS

According to the WHO expert committee of 1963, a hospital is a residential

facility that aims to offer short-term and long-term medical care facilities that include

diagnostic, therapeutic, and rehabilitative services for the suspected patient who is

suffering from sickness or injury. Such hospitals may or may not be able to give care

to an ambulatory patient or an outside patient at times.

According to the WHO expert committee of 1956, a hospital is an integral

aspect of a social and medical organization that can provide full healthcare facilities,

including both curative and preventative measures. Outpatient services are also

available at the hospital.

General Classification of Hospitals

Hospitals can be classified based on the basic function, objective and service

provided to differentiate the different facility use. Most Hospitals can be classified by

objective namely if it is more of General Hospital, a Specialized Hospitals, or a

Teaching/Research Hospitals. It can also be classified based on ownership, the length

of stay of patients. It can also be based on Medical Staff, the bed capacity it can cover,

or type of care it can offer.

 Based on Objectives

General Hospitals

General hospitals were designed to provide a wide range of different types of

healthcare amenities in restricted numbers. The general hospital offers health care

services for a wide range of disorders for both sexes and people of all ages.

Special Hospitals

Special hospitals have limited services to a particular condition such as;

maternity, pediatrics, geriatric, orthopedics, cardiac, diabetic, oncology, etc.

Teaching/Research Hospitals

A hospital of this sort is associated with a research institute, such as a medical

college, nursing college, dentistry college, or pharmacy college. The objective for

affiliating such an educational institution is to give medical care education and

research facilities to aspiring research students.

Based on Administration and Ownership

Government/Public Hospitals

The government owns and controls these sorts of hospitals. These hospitals

give free medical care to certain patients or at a very cheap cost in comparison to
others. The Ministry of Health, The University, The Municipal Corporation, or other

government corporations and sectors own government hospitals.

Private Hospitals

Private hospitals are owned and operated by a single person, a group of

physicians or citizens, or a private organization. The medical care services supplied

by such hospitals are rather expensive.

Semi-Government Hospitals

Such hospitals are administered by both the government and the commercial

sector. Cantonment Board Hospital is an example.

Corporate Hospitals

Public limited corporations constituted under the corporations Act run these

sorts of hospitals. These hospitals are managed on a for-profit basis.

Voluntary Agency Hospitals

These hospitals are administered on a non-profit basis by a volunteer group

or charity trust.
 Based on Length of Stay

Short-stay Hospitals

Hospitals that can accommodate and offer services for fewer than 30 days are

known as short-term hospitals.

Long-stay Hospitals

Long-stay hospitals, sometimes known as long-term hospitals, may house

patients and offer services for more than 30 days.

Based on Medical Staff

Closed-Staff Hospitals

On a fee-for-service basis, physicians at such institutions are in charge of all

medical activities, including diagnosis and treatment.

Open-Staff Hospitals

Other physicians in the community have authority to admit patients to such

hospitals and administer treatment to them.

Classification of Hospital-based on Level of Care

Primary Care Hospitals

Primary care hospitals provide day-to-day healthcare facilities through health

care practitioners. In such facilities, the health care professional serves as the primary

and primary point of contact for the patient's ongoing care and may coordinate the
care of additional specialists as needed. This type of hospital primarily provides basic

health care services and is seen as a gateway to more specialized treatment.

Secondary Health Care Hospitals

This type of hospital offers the first level of recommended services, which are

more complex and extend beyond the scope and capabilities of the primary level. This

category is designated for the provision of some specialized care services, mostly in

Internal Medicine, General Surgery, Obstetrics & Gynecology, and Paediatrics. A

hospital of this kind typically has 50-200 beds.

Tertiary Level Hospitals

Such a hospital level is concerned with providing highly specialized care

services in regional or central-level hospitals. This level of treatment also includes

super-specialized hospitals such as cancer hospitals, heart hospitals, infectious

disease hospitals, and mental disease hospitals.

Classification of Hospital as per WHO (Expert Committee 1957)

Regional Hospitals

Provide a wide range of treatment options as well as highly specialized

services. Serve a greater geographic region than local hospitals. Government Medical

College Hospitals, for example.

Intermediate District Hospitals

District hospitals are often the primary health-care facility in their community.

Rural Hospitals

These are outlying hospitals with a limited number of beds and service

capabilities. It should have between 20 and 100 beds. Upazilha Health Centre, for

example.

STRUCTURES AND SERVICES OF A HOSPITAL

Every hospital has an organizational structure in place to facilitate and deliver

various types of services. A hospital is a multifaceted institution with several

committees, departments, employee kinds, and services.

Figure 3. Organizational Structure of a Hospital

 Members/Organizations in a Hospital

Board of Trustees

The “board of trustees,” controls the hospital in the belief of the community health care

and has obligatory duty to protect the resources of the hospital through efficient operation.

Executive Administration

The chief executive officer (CEO) reports to the board of trustees and provides

leadership for the implementation of the board of trustees' strategic plan, goals, and

decisions.

Informational Services

Under informational services, many agencies fulfill the following functions,

responsibilities, and supply information:

• Admin-Related Information

• Billing and Collection

• Medical Records

• Computer Information Systems

• Health Education

• Human Resources

Therapeutic Services

Provides treatment to patients which include following departments:

 • Physical Therapy

• Occupational Therapy

• Speech/ Language Pathology/Therapy

Diagnostic Services

Determination of cause of any disease or illness. This may include:

• Medical Laboratory

• Medical Imaging such as MRI, CT scan, and Ultrasound.

• Emergency Medicine

Administrative Support Services

Administrative support services are critical for hospital operations and physical

plant management. The CEO oversees implementing numerous administrative

support services as well as the facility's day-to-day operations. Non-medical personnel

is in charge of admitting and discharging patients, maintaining records, and processing

accounts relating to third-party payers such as insurance companies. The finance

sector is crucial to the hospital's financial operations and is responsible for the core

processes involved in administrative decision-making. They constantly advise the

CEO on different financial strategies and long-term financial arrangements, as well as

set processes for the account section's operation. The hospital's financial department

is also responsible for receiving and depositing all types of cash received by the

hospital, as well as approving expenditures and salary payments.

 DESIGN CONSIDERATIONS AND CONCEPTS
FOR HOSPITAL PLANNING

Basic Factors to Consider in Hospital Design and Construction

Hospitals are the most complicated of building kinds since they provide a wide

variety of services and are made up of several functional sections. Hospitals provide

diagnostic and therapeutic services such as clinical labs, imaging, emergency rooms,

and surgery, as well as hospitality services such as food service and housekeeping.

A good hospital design balances practical demands with the human needs of its many

users. The range and intricacy of laws, procedures, and monitoring that regulate

hospital design and operations reflect this necessity for different activities. Each of a

hospital's diverse and ever-changing activities, including extremely complex

mechanical, electrical, and telecommunications systems, need specific knowledge

and skills.

Considerations:

Efficiency and Cost-Effectiveness

An efficient hospital layout should promote staff efficiency by minimizing the

distance between frequently used spaces; allow for visual supervision of patients;

provide an efficient logistics system for supplies and food (and waste removal).
Flexibility and Expandability

Medical requirements and treatment methods will continue to evolve. As a

result, hospitals should adhere to modular space planning and layout principles;

employ generic room sizes and designs as much as feasible; use modular, readily

accessed, and easily updated mechanical and electrical systems; and be open-ended,

with well-planned future growth directions.

Therapeutic Environment

A hospital should be perceived as unthreatening, pleasant, and stress-free by

patients and visitors. The interior designer is an important part of the attempt to create

a healing atmosphere. This may be done, for example, by utilizing bright and varied

colors and textures, permitting adequate natural light whenever possible, offering

views of the outdoors from every patient bed, and incorporating a "wayfinding" process

into every setting.

Cleanliness and Sanitation

Hospitals should be simple to clean and maintain. Appropriate, durable finishes

for each functional area; careful detailing of elements such as doorframes, casework,

and finish transitions to eliminate dirt-catching and difficult-to-clean fissures and joints;

and ample and correctly situated housekeeping spaces all help to achieve this.
Accessibility

The spaces, both inside and outside, should meet the criteria and minimal

requirements of the Americans with Disabilities Act, including ensuring that gradients

are level enough to allow simple travel and walkways and corridors are wide enough

to accommodate two wheelchairs.

Security and Safety

Hospitals face unique security challenges, including the safety of patients and

personnel, hospital property and assets (including pharmaceuticals), and vulnerability

to terrorism due to their high visibility. With these considerations in mind, security and

safety must be included in the design.

Sustainability

Hospitals are enormous public structures that have a considerable influence on

the environment and economics of the surrounding community. They consume a lot

of energy and water, and they generate a lot of garbage. As a result, while planning

and developing hospitals, sustainable design must be considered.

Hospital Design Emerging Issues and Challenges

The environment has a direct impact on people's happiness and health. The

Covid-19 outbreak has refocused attention on the link between architectural

architecture and public health, particularly in hospitals and urban contexts.

 Building or renovating a hospital or healthcare facility necessitates satisfying

stringent regulatory, technical, and financial standards. The hospital must be

constructed as a unified, adaptable, and dynamic facility to satisfy the demands of

patients and caregivers.

In general, the design of any healthcare facility must be focused on one

endpoint and areas such as meet the basic needs of users. Other than operating and

intervention theatres (clinics, diagnostics), technical rooms, and inpatient areas, other

places such as reception areas, waiting areas, and hallways have traditionally been

seen as more or less residual, virtually residual.

These locations should not be overlooked as welcome places and initial

surroundings experienced by users, and therefore as part of the conscious and

unconscious process of judgment formation. And the judgment passed on the

structure becomes judgment on the entire organization.

From common experience, it appears that surroundings meant for care and

health in general frequently correspond to impersonal spaces distinguished by an

unlimited period and devoid of any potential of action. This can cause a variety of

feelings, including worry, frustration, and plain boredom. Some considerations for

these regions' design criteria:

• Occupied time is perceived as shorter than unoccupied time.

• People perceive the first wait as the longest.

• Anxiety makes the wait seem longer.

• Undefined expectations are perceived as longer than the defined expectations.

• Unjustified expectations are perceived as longer than justified expectations.

• Expectations perceived as unfair are experienced as longer than the right ones.
 • The higher the expectation of service, the more customers are willing to wait.

• Waiting alone is perceived as longer than waiting in company.

Thus, the modern design of healthcare facilities should be different from

established concepts and nearly resemble the look of residential quarters. As a result,

there are many crucial requirements:

• Severity and restraint.

• Comfort.

• Functionality.

HOSPITAL DESIGN CONSIDERATIONS

(Basic Article and Ruling by Dr. Salil Choudhary)

As part of regular professional activity, hospitals and other health facilities must

be planned and designed to follow suitable architectural practices, satisfy required

functional requirements, and adhere to applicable codes.

The following are critical considerations while designing for healthcare facilities:

1. Environment

A hospital and other health facilities must be in such a way that they are

easily accessible to the community and are reasonably free of excessive noise,

smoke, dust, foul odor, and flooding, and must not be located near railroads,
 freight yards, children's playgrounds, airports, industrial plants, or disposal

plants.

Figure 4. Hospital Room Environment.

2. Occupancy

A structure that was built for another purpose may not be turned into a

hospital. All local zoning rules must be followed while locating a hospital.

3. Safety

A hospital and other health care institutions must create and maintain a

safe environment for patients, staff, and the public. The structure must be

constructed in such a way that there are no threats to the life and safety of

patients, personnel, or the public. It must be able to endure the weight and

elements to which they may be subjected.

Guidelines:
• Exits shall be restricted to the following types: door leading directly outside the

building, interior stair, ramp, and exterior stair.

• A minimum of two (2) exits, remote from each other, shall be provided for each

floor of the building.

• Exits shall terminate directly at an open space to the outside of the building.

4. Security

A hospital and other health care institutions must protect the safety of

their patients and property.

5. Patient Movement

Spaces must be large enough to allow patients to move freely, whether

they are on beds, stretchers, or wheelchairs. At all times, circulation pathways

for transporting patients from one region to another must be open and free.

Figure 5. Suggested Hospital Hallway.

• Corridors for access by patient and equipment shall have a minimum width of

2.44 meters.

• Corridors in areas not commonly used for beds, stretchers and equipment

transport may be reduced in width to 1.83 meters.

• A ramp or elevator shall be provided for ancillary, clinical and nursing areas

located on the upper floor.

• A ramp shall be provided for access to the entrance of the hospital not on the

same level of the site.

6. Lighting

All areas in a hospital and other health facilities shall be provided with

sufficient illumination to promote comfort, healing, and recovery of patients and

to enable personnel in the performance of work.

7. Ventilation

Adequate ventilation must be supplied to guarantee the comfort of

patients, workers, and the public.

8. Auditory and Visual Privacy

A hospital and other health facilities shall observe acceptable sound

level and adequate visual seclusion to achieve the acoustical and privacy

requirements in designated areas allowing the unhampered conduct of

activities.
9. Water Supply

When available, hospitals and other health institutions must use an

approved public water supply system. The water supply must be drinkable, safe

to drink, and adequate, and it must be transported into the structure without any

cross connections.

10. Waste Disposal

When available, liquid waste should be discharged into an appropriate

public sewage system, and solid waste should be collected, processed, and

disposed of in compliance with relevant regulations, laws, or ordinances.

11. Sanitation

Utilities for the maintenance of sanitary system, including approved

water supply and sewerage system, shall be provided through the buildings and

premises to ensure a clean and healthy environment.

12. Maintenance

An efficient building maintenance program must be in place. The

structures and equipment must be kept in good shape. Buildings and equipment

must be properly maintained to avoid untimely breakdowns.

13. Housekeeping

A hospital and other health care facilities must offer and maintain a

healthy and aesthetically pleasing environment for patients, staff, and the

public.
14. Material Specification

Floors, walls, and ceilings must be made of durable materials that are

easy to clean and fire resistant.

15. Segregation

Wards must maintain gender segregation. Male and female patients and

personnel must use separate toilets, with one (1) toilet for every eight (8)

patients or workers.

16. Fire Protection

There shall be measures for detecting fire such as fire alarms in walls,

peepholes in doors or smoke detectors in ceilings. There shall be devices for

quenching fire such as fire extinguishers or fire hoses that are easily visible and

accessible in strategic areas.

17. Signage

There shall be an effective graphic system composed of several

individual visual aids and devices arranged to provide information, orientation,

direction, identification, prohibition, warning, and official notice considered

essential to the optimum operation of a hospital and other health facilities.

18. Parking

A hospital and other health facilities shall provide a minimum of one (1)

parking space for every twenty-five (25) beds.

19. Zoning

Outer Zone – areas that are immediately accessible to the public: emergency

service, outpatient service, and administrative service. They shall be located

near the entrance of the hospital.

Second Zone – areas that receive workload from the outer zone: laboratory,

pharmacy, and radiology. They shall be located near the outer zone.

Inner Zone – areas that provide nursing care and management of patients:

nursing service. They shall be in private areas but accessible to guests.

Deep Zone – areas that require asepsis to perform the prescribed services:

surgical service, delivery service, nursery, and intensive care. They shall be

segregated from the public areas but accessible to the outer, second and inner

zones.

Service Zone – areas that provide support to hospital activities: dietary service,

housekeeping service, maintenance and motor pool service, and mortuary.

They shall be in areas away from normal traffic.

Figure 6. Zoning Plan for Hospital Spaces

20. Function

The many parts of a hospital must be functionally connected to one

another.

• To facilitate rapid access, the emergency services should be positioned on the

ground floor. The emergency room must have a distinct entrance.

• The administrative services, notably the admitting and business offices, must

be positioned near the hospital's main entrance. Hospital administration offices

might be placed in private areas.

• The surgical service must be placed and organized in such a way that non-

related traffic is avoided. To ensure asepsis, the operating room should be as

far away from the entrance as possible. After changing into surgical clothing,

the dressing room should be positioned to prevent exposure to filthy regions.

The nursing station should be placed such that patient movement may be seen.

• The delivery service must be placed and organized in such a way that non-

related traffic is avoided. To ensure asepsis, the delivery room should be as far

away from the entrance as possible. After changing into surgical clothing, the

dressing room should be positioned to prevent exposure to filthy regions. The

nursing station should be placed such that patient movement may be seen. The

nursery should be separate from the delivery room yet easily accessible.
 • The nursing service must be kept apart from the general public. The nursing

station should be situated so that patients may be observed visually. Nurse

stations must be provided in all hospital inpatient units, with at least one (1)

nurse station for every thirty-five (35) beds. Rooms and wards must be large

enough to accommodate work flow and patient movement. Toilets must be

easily accessible from all rooms and wards.

• The dining service must be at least 25 meters away from the mortuary.

21. Spaces

Ample space must be made available for people, activities, furnishings,

equipment, and utilities.

Healthcare Space Planning: Facilitate a Healing Environment

Healthcare environments are extremely difficult to manage. Facilities managers

are not only dealing with unanticipated levels of demand and diverse types of need,

but they are also dealing with mixed spaces. An MRI room is impossible to utilize for

anything other than what it was designed for; however, a general treatment room can

be anything from a triage station to a location for ultrasounds, inoculations, and other

procedures. The sheer number of variables at play makes healthcare space design a

difficult but vital undertaking.

 How can healthcare facility managers account for the many uncontrollable

elements in a hospital while coordinating agile, accessible, and available space? It

requires a large number of resources, including healthcare space planning software.

Putting the puzzle pieces together in a facility that satisfies the needs of the local

people is a full-time, ever-changing task.

What is Healthcare Space Planning?

Space planning is the process of repurposing space to fulfill the demands of

those who use it. It entails assigning space to treat patients and optimizing that area

so that physicians can provide care.

Basic Form of a Hospital based on its functions.

• bed-related inpatient functions

• outpatient-related functions

• diagnostic and treatment functions

• administrative functions

• service functions (food, supply)

• research and teaching functions

The physical relationships between these functions establish the hospital's

design. Certain linkages between the various functions are necessary, as shown in

the flow diagrams below.

Figure 7. Zoning and Function Relationships
 The movement and communication of people, materials, and trash are depicted

in these flow diagrams. As a result, the physical layout of a hospital and its

transportation and logistics systems are intricately linked. The building configuration

influences the transportation systems, and the configuration is strongly dependent on

the transportation systems. Site constraints and possibilities, climate, adjacent

amenities, money, and available technology all have an impact on hospital layout. New

medical requirements and new technologies produce new options.

Because it is repeated many times in a big hospital, the form of the standard

nursing unit is a key component of the overall layout. Nursing homes nowadays are

more compact than the expansive rectangles of the past.

The Benefits of Healthcare Space Planning

Bringing healthcare institutions together via careful space planning provides

several benefits to both patients and clinicians. On a practical level, excellent space

planning looks like this:

• Better availability of facilities to meet the needs of patients.

• Easier navigability for patients, family, and healthcare staff

• Faster-paced operations benefit from streamlined layout.

• Physicians have access to facilities that enable better patient care.

• Enhanced safety, security, and privacy in well-orchestrated spaces

• Fewer overlaps and interruptions in facilities ensure smoother interactions.

 THE ARCHITECTURE BEHINDS HOSPITAL DESIGNS

How the Architecture of Hospitals Affects Health Outcomes

A critical driver of everything that counts in health interventions — experience, cost,

and outcomes — has been lying in plain sight. It refers to the structures and areas in

which patients are treated. In the past, the size and arrangement of a room, whether

a bed is in the center or against a wall (and even which wall), how much space is kept

for patients to move vs how many beds or operating equipment can be

accommodated, were not considered predictors of health outcomes. This is changing

as architects and health care organizations collaborate to incorporate social design

ideas into the constructed health care environment.

1. Make sure your vision reflects the ultimate objectives

Traditionally, hospitals have judged their success in terms of bed

occupancy. As a result, their architecture includes several private rooms and

minimal walking area. However, contemporary medical theory argues that for

many patients and diseases, getting up and moving around is critical to healing.

Traditional hospitals provide health care but not necessarily health, which

should be the goal.

2. Seek input from people who don’t think like you

Patients, families, physicians, nurses, administrators, and architects all

have diverse perspectives on concerns. They are all necessary for

comprehending why things happen the way they do. Various stakeholders at
 Butaro District Hospital, for example, questioned why a hospital ward should

have traditional layouts, with patients laying with their heads against the outside

wall and physicians and visitors seeing out the windows behind them. What

happens when sick individuals can gaze out the window instead of gazing at

other sick people all day? Why use standard ventilation systems when they rely

on a power supply that frequently fails, exposing patients to airborne infections

that make them sicker than when they arrived at the hospital?

3. Make the invisible visible.

Make maps and draw the systems at work in your facility, including

patterns of traffic, people who talk to each other and those who don’t, and room

and building layouts. Drawing is the only reliable way to make sure diverse

people are seeing the same thing. Shifting the language, we use from verbal to

visual uncovers the hidden dynamics that form our thinking and behavior and

unleashes new thinking. An architect’s instinct to measure size and traffic flow

in labor units helped make the causes of the C-section epidemic visible.

4. Experiment continually.

Planning, especially facilities planning, almost inevitably stifles ongoing

innovation. Planning builds in assumptions about the future at a time when

things change faster than ever — in health care no less than in other areas of

our lives. It freezes design — of processes as well as space — in place. And it

often puts an end to transformation until the next distant planning cycle.
Hospital Exterior Design and How it Works.

The architectural styles used in healthcare facilities are highly diverse. Each

institution employs a unique blend of architectural characteristics to serve local

populations, from small specialty offices to massive hospitals that aid thousands of

patients every day.

These three aspects of design are essential for modern healthcare facilities.

They make buildings more accessible to patients and visitors, help them feel welcome,

and promote better healing outcomes. In this guide, we’ll go through each design

technique in detail and show you how to incorporate them into your healthcare facility.

Despite their various variances, all these institutions have one feature. The

architects who designed them devoted special attention to three details:

1. Exterior Design

Figure 8. Typical Exterior Massing and Design of Hospitals

2. Entrance Design

Figure 9. Typical Entrance Design of a Hospital

3. Interior Design

Figure 10. Typical Modern Interior Motif of Hospital

References:

Hospital architecture design planning | Consult now #1.

Hospaccxconsulting. https://hospaccxconsulting.com/steps-in-hospital-planning-and-
designing/

Hospital design considerations. LinkedIn. https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/hospital-design-

considerations-dr-salil-choudhary/

Hospital. (2020, July 14). WHO | World Health Organization. https://www.who.int/health-

topics/hospitals#tab=tab_1

Hospital. (2022, September 21). Encyclopedia

Britannica. https://www.britannica.com/science/hospital

How the architecture of hospitals affects health outcomes. (2018, October 15). Harvard
Business Review. https://hbr.org/2018/10/how-the-architecture-of-hospitals-affects-
health-outcomes

International Health Facility

Guidelines. https://healthfacilityguidelines.com/ViewPDF/ViewIndexPDF/iHFG_part_
c_space_standards_dimensions

Mistry, S. (2021, December 21). Classification of hospital. Solution

Parmacy. https://solutionpharmacy.in/classification-of-hospital/

Philippi, B. (2014, June 12). Factors to consider in hospital design and construction. Philippi
Quality Construction. https://philippiqualityconstruction.com/factors-to-consider-in-
hospital-design-and-construction/

Pinch, C. (2021, July 15). Healthcare space planning: Facilitate a healing environment.
SpaceIQ. https://spaceiq.com/blog/healthcare-space-planning/

What are the different types of hospitals?

https://www.gallaghermalpractice.com/blog/post/what-are-the-different-types-of-
hospitals