Design for the Future of Health

Designing for Healthcare Sustainability: A Framework

August 3, 2021 / Dochitect / Design for Resiliency, Design for the Future of Health

Blog Post

Publication: American College of Healthcare Executives (ACHE)
Title: Designing for Healthcare Sustainability: A Framework
Date: Published online August 3, 2021
Author: Diana Anderson, Principal, Jacobs & Shari Blanch, Architectural Graduate at Jacobs
View article

Excerpt:

Traditionally, concepts related to sustainable design focus on the co-existence of both the natural and the built environments, often conjuring up images related to saving our earth: planting trees, building wind farms, collecting pollution from the ocean. Over the last few decades, the concept of sustainability has gained traction in the design community with building rating systems and standards alongside the emergence of professional credentialing.

There is a recognized need to expand the facets of holistic, sustainable design given the complex challenges within healthcare. Usually, three pillars of sustainability are considered to include economic, social and environmental dimensions. In this blog post, we propose and describe a fourth: systems sustainability.

The traditional pillars of sustainability: social, environmental and economic, in addition to systems sustainability in the context of healthcare. Sketch by: Shari Blanch

Read the full article HERE.

Blog Post

ULI – Science for Design

June 16, 2021 / Dochitect / Design for the Future of Health

Presentations

Event: Urban Land Institute (ULI) OnPoint
Title: Science for Design
Date: June 16, 2021
Panelists: Morgan Hutchinson, MD, Emergency Medicine, Thomas Jefferson University Hospital (Panel Chair), Catriona Brady, World Green Building Council, Diana Anderson, MD, Jacobs

What changes should be made to the built environment in response to the current public health crisis? How have our tendencies shifted in the last year and how has that impacted the ways we interact with indoor space? Expert speakers will offer fascinating insights on design for the built environment, including the impacts to our physical and mental health. Learn how neuro-architecture can inform building better and healthier indoor environments and hear strategies that office owners and operators can quickly implement to incrementally improve the office work environment.

Read more about the event HERE.

Panel Discussions

2021 European Healthcare Design Congress

June 14, 2021 / Dochitect / Design for Geriatrics, Design for the Future of Health

Presentations

Event: 2021 European Healthcare Design Congress
Dates: June 14-17, 2021

June 14, 2021
Session: Deconstructing the hospital to save itChair: Ganesh Suntharalingam, Intensive Care Society, UK
Panelists: William Hercules, WJH Health, USA; Benjamin Bassin; Cemal Sozener, University of Michigan Health System, USA; Diana Anderson, VA Boston Health System, USA

June 15, 2021
Session: Environments for modern ward rounds for multidisciplinary inpatient review
The Royal College of Physicians and Royal College of Nursing, together with the Royal Pharmaceutical Society, Chartered Society of Physiotherapy and NHS Improvement, have developed updated guidance on ‘Modern ward rounds for multidisciplinary care in hospital wards’. Key elements include: space for multi-professional confidential discussion about and with patients; reducing noise levels to improve cognition; minimising interruptions; interactions with technology to improve information sharing and records; reducing hierarchy to improve communication; and decision-making. This workshop will explore opportunities and challenges in hospital wards to creating the best environment for high-quality multidisciplinary care.

Chair: John Dean, Royal College of Physicians, UK
Panelists: Andrew Rochford, NHS England & NHS Improvement, UK; Nicky Ashby, Royal College of Nursing, UK; Jennifer Flatman, Royal College of Physicians; Clinical pharmacist, UK; Diana Anderson, Jacobs, USA; Cemal B Sozener, University of Michigan Medical School, USA; Bill Hercules, WJH Health, USA Lynne Quinney, Patient representative, UK

June 16, 2021
Session: Nursing home design and Covid-19: balancing infection control, quality of life,
and resilience
Chair: Sylvia Wyatt, Health and care strategic advisor and consultant, UK
Panelists:Thomas Grey, Trinity College Dublin, Ireland; Diana C Anderson, VA Boston Health System, USA

June 17, 2021
Session: How will Covid-19 change healthcare design?
Chair: Paul Bell, Ryder Architecture, UK
Panelists: Matthew Holmes, Jacobs, Australia; Diana C Anderson, VA Boston Healthcare System, USA; Jacobs, USA

Read more about the event HERE.

Panel Discussions

Caring for the City: 21st Century Health & Wellbeing

June 14, 2021 / Dochitect / Design for the Future of Health

Presentations

Event: London Festival of Architecture
Title: Caring for the City: 21st Century Health & Wellbeing
Date: June 14, 2021
Panelists: Nina Wollman, Jacobs, Marky Davy, Founder, FutureCity, Matthew Holmes, Jacobs, Cashfya Cazi, Jacobs, Emily Violette, Schneider Electric, Diana Anderson, Jacobs

Imagine a future where, together as designers, thinkers, innovators, citizens, caregivers, and care-receivers, we create and deliver solutions for health and wellbeing by transforming our engagement with each other. To truly integrate and optimize the built environment where we receive care, the clinical environment that provides care, the digital environment that wraps around the care we receive and the community environment that promotes our wellbeing.

In parallel to our ‘Connecting Through Gaming’ initiative, Jacobs is exploring the topic of ‘Caring for the City’, in this webinar Jacobs Nina Wollman will reflect with a panel of experts and thought leaders on how in a post-COVID world, we can provide better ‘care’ through our approach to the built environment?

How can we bring ‘care’ to the multiple environments that support and impact our physical, mental health and wellbeing. We all want to be surrounded by spaces that enable us to thrive and succeed in all aspects of our lives.

Read more about the event HERE.

Panel Discussions

Symposium on Sustainability in Healthcare – Architectural Design as a Determinant of Heath

May 25, 2021 / Dochitect / Design for Resiliency, Design for the Future of Health, Evidence-Based Design

Presentations

Event: Symposium on Sustainability in Healthcare
Title: Architectural Design as a Determinant of Heath
Date: May 25, 2021

KEYNOTE LUNCH – 11:30 AM – 1:00 PM

Keynote Presentation: “Architectural Design as a Determinant of Health”

Presenter: Diana Anderson, MD, M.Arch

Our understanding of the role the environment plays in shaping health has expanded immensely over the last few decades. A growing body of empirical data and evidence-based design research demonstrates that architecture impacts care delivery as well as health outcomes.

This talk explores built space as an important determinant of health and questions whether the built environment itself should be considered alongside other parameters of care, analogous to our medical interventions. Historical examples of the convergence of hospital architecture and medical practice exist. The design of the tuberculosis sanatorium during the early 20th century illustrates this infrequent intersection; the healthy building emphasizing contact with nature, developed to prevent the spread of contagions.

In the context of the COVID-19 global pandemic, we can revisit past models and consider new and sustainable innovations to emphasize infection prevention and control. A current focus on design equity, ensuring overall accessibility to healthcare-built space, is explored through universal design principles. It is imperative that we consider a convergence of the healthcare and design disciplines in order to promote novel solutions to augment-built environment resilience and subsequently support equitable, safe and efficient care delivery.

More information about the event is available HERE.

Keynote Presentations

AZURE Talks- Hospital(ity): New Directions in Healthcare Design

April 28, 2021 / Dochitect / Design for the Future of Health

Presentations

Event: AZURE talks, part of Architect@Work Canada Digital Summit
Date: April 28, 2021
Panelists: Siamak Hariri, founder Partner, Hariri Pontarini Architects; Diana Anderson, Principal, Jacobs; Chris McQuillan, Principal, B+H Architects

Big institutional hospitals tend to look and feel like big, institutional spaces. But there’s a lot more to healthcare design than meeting the terms of an RFP. How can designers imbue places of healing with a sense of warmth, tranquility and even wellness? And what stands in the way?

On April 28th at 12pm EST, AZURE will host a free online talk exploring the future of healthcare design. Titled Hospital(ity): New Directions in Healthcare Design, the conversation will explore the links between space and well-being delving into how architects can help nurture comfort and intimacy in healthcare settings.

Read more about the event HERE.

Panel Discussions

Designing The Hospital Of The Future

March 17, 2021 / Dochitect / Design for the Future of Health

Blog Post

Publication: Medical Futurist
Date: Published online March 17, 2021
Author: Diana Anderson, Principal, Jacobs & Cath Lewin, Senior Health Planner at Jacobs
View article

What would someone do who equally loves medicine and architecture? For Diana Anderson, it was simple: she became the world’s (probably) first dochitect: doctor + architect. As a published author in both fields, she creates hospital design projects globally, and shifts the paradigm on both ends, focusing on the impacts of healthcare design on patient outcomes, staff satisfaction, and related topics.

As we immerse ourselves in the operation of the hospitals on The Medical Futurist site in the coming weeks, we asked Diana what she thought the hospitals of the future would look like. She gave us responses together with Cath Lewin, Senior Health Planner at Jacobs.

“The complexity of the current pandemic has led to successful inter-disciplinary alliances between designers, architects, engineers, public health officials, health facility operators, and others to work together on design-related solutions.”

Concept sketch for healthcare public space. Sketch by: Jorge Anaya, Jacobs

Read the full article HERE.

Blog Post