HealthCare Spaces 4

HealthCare Spaces 4 by Roger Yee was just published; mine came last week. I got a complimentary copy since I'm advertising in it this year. It looks to be up to the high standards of the previous editions.

In case you are not familiar with the HealthCare Spaces books, they are richly illustrated coffee table books which showcase the most exciting Healthcare buildings in North America. Looking at the 800 high-quality images is inspiring and lets you know what the top firms are creating.

Observations:

• The color photographs are luscious, but it's hard to tell which are computer generated (CGI) and which are real. Blurred people seem to be the norm in both.
• I was surprised (and pleased) by how forcefully Yee presented the serious problems we face in American with soaring healthcare costs and mediocre results; especially when compared to other developed countries. The provocative opening sentence to the book is: "Being and American may not be automatically bad for your health."
• The use of Art in Healthcare is not discussed but you can see a wide range of 2D and 3D art in many installation shots. Some of the art (especially for kids) is pretty wild (see p. 27, 45, 90-93, 123 & 235).
• There are no Healing Gardens featured, but most of the buildings show attractive conventional landscaping.

Most people who get this book will probably not read the text, but they should. Yee wrote a fine essay "Is Design a Cure?" on p. 252. The key ideas:

• "While design cannot correct America's dsyfunctional healthcare system, it is dramatically improving the healthcare experience for everyone it serves."
• Patient rooms are going to single-room, but at the same time enlarging to allow for exra caregivers (staff and family). If a room is to be variable acuiity (which reduces patient transfers) extra space has to be included for the extra equpment that might be needed.
• Surgical Suites are also expanding - now averaging 600 sq. feet each.
• ERs are rapidly growing since they are often the first place uninsured people go for basic healthcare.
• Healthcare facilities are being designed to welcome families.
• Staff ammenities are geting more attention in an effort to reduce staff turnover (there is a chronic and serious nursing shortage in America). How can design increase the satisfaction of nurses and allow them to deliver more personalized care?
• He concludes the essay and the book by returning to the theme of the healthcare delivery crisis and writes: "Delivering healthcare to all Americans will obviously require profound, innovative and far-reaching social, political and economic solutions."

Healthcare Spaces No. 4 is available on Amazon.com for $37.50. Click here.