Insights & Solutions

The goal of this project was to develop a line of glass that promotes dignity in care environments by providing the necessary levels of visual privacy.

To create a world-class facility using evidence-based design. "The new space will allow us to meet growing needs and continue to offer the medical quality and fivestar service for which The Heart Hospital – Baylor Plano has become known.” – Mark Valentine, CEO

The transitional design is intended to set the tone for Wellness Point, a new mixed-use district focused on healthcare, retail, and residential uses that will eventually become the city’s southern gateway. By incorporating an urgent care model into the traditional ER setting and including Florida Hospital's Lean Track model, the facility's goal was the improvement of wait times, allowing patients to be seen at the appropriate level of care based on acuity.

ARCH Design’s goal was to complement the views of Forest Park and the bold super graphics already included in the design of the space with art that related to the hospital’s surrounding community and its rich cultural offerings. However, adhering to the stringent fire code was the highest priority, so the ARCH team researched materials and designed custom pieces that both exceeded safety standards and upheld this conceptual framework.

Rush University Medical Center sought to create a new patient experience tailored to the unique preferences of the residents living in the River North neighborhood while expanding access. They also sought to create a forward-thinking operational model with an emphasis on leveraging technology.

The goals of this project were to discover the challenges of a new entry portal and determine design decisions to enable clarity for patients, families, and staff and to create an entry that matched the vision of this world-class hospital.

The aim of THR and UT Southwestern Frisco Campus’ Health Facilitator was to show how a facility embedded within a community can encourage wellness, preventative care, and proactive behavior for the surrounding population instead of the typical reactive model of seeking care after illness or injury occurs. Thoughtful design strategies and incorporation of mixed-use spaces intend to change the view of the facility from a hospital or institution to one that is more integrated into the community.

The following table provides a crosswalk of design categories in the built environment (e.g., unit layout) and safety issues to consider in behavioral and mental health settings (e.g., blind spots). This table is meant to serve as a high-level roadmap for design considerations in conjunction with the online Safety Risk Assessment (SRA) toolkit (www.healthdesign.org/sra). It is not intended to serve as a substitute for the online version of the SRA tool.