Architecture prof compiles best health facility design principles

A client's clear vision is one of 12 principles compiled by Kirk Hamilton, interim director of the Texas A&M [Center for Health Systems & Design] (http://chsd.arch.tamu.edu/) and professor of [architecture] (http://dept.arch.tamu.edu/) , that lead to the creation of successful, new healthcare facilities. Hamilton compiled the list from a series of interviews of experts in healthcare administration, design and construction.

The list, published in a white paper, “ [Owner Organization for Successful Project Outcomes] (https://c.ymcdn.com/sites/www.nibs.org/resource/resmgr/AHI/AHI_WhitePaperTeam1.pdf) ,” includes the experts’ ideas about improving processes to create and maintain the complex built environment required to support the U.S. healthcare system.

The interviews were part of a research program hosted by the National Institute of Building Science’s [Academy for Healthcare Infrastructure] (https://www.nibs.org/?page=ahi) to address what it calls “the overwhelming uncertainty facing almost every segment of the American healthcare industry.”

In addition to a clear client's vision, other principles Hamilton compiled in the paper are:

• Clear, documented project objectives;
• Qualified, experienced staff;
• A stable of pre-qualified consultants and contractors;
• Standards that simplfy decisions and do not stifle innovation;
• A hierarchical command structure for the project team;
• Timely, effective communication;
• Constant attention to cost and schedule control;
• Project leaders in the same room during planning;
• Explicit rewards for excellent individual performance;
• Project leaders that believe in the benefits of collaboration, and
• Trust among project team members.

The white paper was one of five papers created in the AHI’s research program presented at the academy’s 2016 forum Jan. 11 at [Building Innovation 2016: The National Institute of Building Sciences Fourth Annual Conference & Expo] (http://www.nibs.org/?page=conference2016) in Washington, D.C.

Other white papers in the AHI initiative include healthcare design and planning experts’ views on developing a flexible healthcare infrastructure; improving overall healthcare business success by considering project planning and project delivery; potential future directions in healthcare and the daunting task of improving healthcare services while lowering costs.