Tuesday, June 22, 2010

Hospital Design in the Developing World – New Article to be Published

Bernstein & Associates, Architects is pleased to announce the upcoming publication of an article on hospital design in the developing world. The article will be published in the Hospital Newspaper.

The article discusses the following points, as they apply in a developing world setting:

-The role hospitals play in medical education
-The unique organization and catchment areas of district hospitals and clinics
-The importance of planning for future growth
-Financial constraints which can hinder hospital construction and operation
-Why sustainability must be prioritized
-Factors that can affect hospital accessibility
-The advantages of utilizing passive air conditioning solutions
-How to maximize interior ventilation
-The impact of building shape on ventilation
-Designs used to maximize interior floor space as well as ventilation and sunlight penetration
-The impact of window placement on ventilation
-Using building orientation to change exposure conditions in extreme environments, thereby regulating temperature
-The use of greenery to direct airflow into a structure, improving ventilation
-The use of landscaping to regulate temperature and create a more stable microenvironment surrounding the hospital
-The use of secondary structures such as awnings to regulate temperature
-Room occupancy considerations
-The advantages and disadvantages of using an open ward design as opposed to one consisting of many smaller rooms
-How to organize hospital departments to allow for non-disruptive growth of the structure
-How the use of repetitive, undifferentiated blocks can promote flexibility
-Advantages of using local labor and construction materials
-Energy efficiency strategies for construction and building maintenance
-The impact of high and low-tech methods on sustainability
-Energy generation and water collection methods
-Considerations pertaining to disaster preparedness
-How architectural style can affect patient comfort and the effectiveness of care
-Past projects which have used the aforementioned design strategies to great effect

The article was written by William N. Bernstein, LEED®AP, AIA and Manu Venkat. Well known hospital architect Mr. Bernstein is a principal of Bernstein & Associates, Architects (www.bernarch.com), which is focused on smart renovations for hospital clients, with offices in New York, Hartford, Princeton and Los Angeles. The firm is known for innovative hospital planning, hospital design, hospital architecture and hospital interior design. Additional ways to follow the hospital design philosophy and hospital design news, is through the firm’s hospital design blog at www.bernarch.blogspot.com, as well as the firm’s hospital design Twitter account at www.twitter.com/hospitals

About Bernstein & Associates, Architects: Founded in 1990, this company is an award-winning architectural firm specialized in hospital design and laboratory design. The firm takes pride in providing the highest level of hospital design work, with additional expertise in sustainable hospital facilities, energy saving measures for hospitals, cost reduction strategies for hospitals, hospital safety and patient safety.

For Hospital Design see, http://bernarch.com/healthcare-design-hospitals

For more information about hospital planning, hospital architecture, and hospital interior design, please contact Bernstein & Associates, Architects as follows:

New York (Headquarters):
Bernstein & Associates, Architects
59 West 19th St. - 6th Floor
New York, NY 10011
T: 212-463-8200
F: 212-463-9898
Email: info@bernarch.com

Hartford:
Bernstein & Associates, Architects
100 Pearl St. - 14th Floor
Hartford, CT 06103
T: 860-616-2200
F: 860-616-0018
Email: info@bernarch.com

Princeton:
Bernstein & Associates, Architects
103 Carnegie Center, Suite 300
Princeton, New Jersey 08540
T: 609-309-7005
F: 609-309-7006
Email: info@bernarch.com

Los Angeles:
Bernstein & Associates, Architects
1405 Woodruff Avenue
Los Angeles, California 90024
T: 213-330-0340
F: 213-330-0450
Email: info@bernarch.com