Insights & Solutions

As individuals age, physical, mental, and societal challenges become more prevalent. This intensive virtual workshop explores those obstacles and discusses programming and design interventions that can assist individuals and care givers. Expert faculty will present examples that integrate architecture, design and technology into living environments that are not only safe, but foster wellness and longevity.

This intensive and interactive workshop will explore new and evolving approaches to infection control through new design innovations, clinical methods, technologies, and protocols. Attendees will participate in an interactive forum lead by industry experts including infection preventionists, environmental services leaders, facility managers, industry partners, and design specialists and will explore the importance of integrating the available options to continually improve outcomes and mitigate the risk of infection. 

This intensive and interactive workshop will explore new and evolving approaches to infection control through new design innovations, clinical methods, technologies, and protocols. Attendees will participate in an interactive forum lead by industry experts including infection preventionists, environmental services leaders, facility managers, industry partners, and design specialists and will explore the importance of integrating the available options to continually improve outcomes and mitigate the risk of infection. 

This virtual interactive, collaborative, problem-solving workshop is designed to project stakeholders (designers, facility executives, administrators, and care providers) to explore the key tenants of pre-fabrication and modular construction, how the benefits of “better, cheaper, faster” is balanced with quality and safety, and how design/build processes and budgets can be reframed from traditional healthcare design/build projects.

This one-day virtual workshop provides the latest in design thinking for a variety of behavioral health care and health settings and offers state-of-the-art best practices through thought leader presentations, case studies, and panel discussions. Attendees will have opportunities to pose questions to workshop faculty and interact with fellow attendees in fun and innovative ways.

Kilmartin-Lynch, S., Roychand, R., Saberian, M., Li, J., Zhang, G., & Setunge, S. (2022). A sustainable approach on the utilisation of COVID-19 plastic based isolation gowns in structural concrete  

Pre pandemic, an estimated 2% of plastic-based waste was mismanaged via littering, but recent research shows that COVID-19 triggered an astounding global use of 129 billion face masks and 65 billion gloves every month, causing a drastic increase of plastic production. How are we supposed to manage this stuff? In this study, shredded isolation gowns were used as an additive to concrete mixes. In various percentages of the volume of concrete. Structural properties were tested for compression, elastic modulus, and flexural strength through a series of experiments. The shredded isolation gowns increased the compressive strength with all mix designs. Flexural strength properties benefitted from the shredded isolation gowns by improving the crack bridging effect under stress. The concrete mixes also showed increases in the elastic modulus compared to the control mix. While more robust testing would be needed, the results suggest some PPE medical waste has the potential to be a secondary reinforcement material in structural concrete.

Kalantari, S., Tripathi, V., Kan, J., Rounds, J. D., Mostafavi, A., Snell, R., & Cruz-Garza, J. G. (2022). Evaluating the impacts of color, graphics, and architectural features on wayfinding in healthcare settings using EEG data and virtual response testing

Ineffective wayfinding can increase anxiety, as well as the operational costs of staff time spent helping patients and visitors find their way. This study tested the use of VR immersion with physiological EEG sensors as a way to evaluate wayfinding design. Each participant was randomly assigned to one of three conditions that included variations of a hospital interior. Participants followed a scripted scenario, and the researchers looked at EEG measures, self-reported metrics of mental fatigue, stress, and confusion, and behavioral metrics. While the findings for self-reported and behavioral data were mostly inconclusive, participants in the design with basic signage, enhanced color, and architectural features looked at signs longer and more often. They were also more likely to choose the right direction. The results offer tentative support for adding both manifest cues (what the signs say), as well as environmental affordances (what the structure says).