At the outset of the Cleveland Clinic Avon Bed Tower project, our designers were challenged with the goal of creating the “Hospital of the Future.” But what exactly is the hospital of future? Or more specifically, what is the future of healthcare design? The answer to these questions would not come from a group of architects and engineers in a DLR Group|Westlake Reed Leskosky conference room. The answer would instead come from a deep understanding of the needs of the patients and providers who occupy the building through the use of an evidence-based design (EBD) approach.
What does it mean to have an EBD approach? For the Avon Bed Tower project, it meant enlisting insight from a variety of stakeholders with a variety of experiences and expertise. One of our first steps was to broaden our team to include a PhD researcher who helped us define two key ideas; which questions we should ask, and how to integrate an EBD approach into a fast-track design delivery process. We brought in enterprise leaders, and engaged in visioning sessions throughout each stage of the project to flesh out ideas and work through challenges.
What resulted from this (somewhat) unconventional approach is a new 225,000-SF inpatient bed tower that leverages flexibility and technology to deliver to patients and providers a truly exceptional facility. Within each room, for example, the patient can conveniently control lighting and temperature, as well as personal information systems through an interactive television. The judicious use of acoustic treatments and enclosures of the interdisciplinary work stations creates a quiet patient environment, while an acuity-adaptable room is configured within the same module to address intensive care requirements. These are just a few of the many instances where our evidence-based approach led to designs that make life easier for hospital users.