This month marks the launch of BD+C’s inaugural Healthcare Annual Report. The second in an ongoing series of “state of the state” building sector reports—the 2023 Multifamily Annual Report published last October—the 2024 Healthcare Annual Report features more than 60 pages of trends, innovations, opportunities, and challenges for the U.S. healthcare construction sector.
Here is a sneak peek of the takeaways and observations shared in the report:
- Even with the rise of outpatient and specialty facilities, mega-hospital projects are not going away. Experts say several factors are at play, including the preference for private patient rooms, industry consolidation, increased care services, population shifts, and inflation. “A billion dollars doesn’t go as far as it used to,” said one expert.
- Patient communication goes high-tech. Interactive patient care systems bring the promise of improved patient communication, increased efficiencies in operations, and greater data collection. One GC said many of its healthcare clients are “aggressively pursuing implementing these new technologies.” However, first cost concerns and IT integration issues can pose obstacles to implementations.
- Trauma-informed design is not just for mental health facilities. TiD was mentioned by several healthcare experts, and not just for behavioral/mental health spaces. Urgent care centers, even entire health campuses, can benefit from TiD approaches like biophilia, daylight, art, protective spaces, and rooms and areas that feel safe and separated.
- Health facilities as destinations? Posh, daylit waiting and exam rooms, higher-end dining options, outdoor eating and respite spaces, specialized spas, wellness gardens, walking paths. These are just some of the advanced design features and amenities that are becoming commonplace in healthcare environments as health systems work to attract healthcare consumers.
- Hospitals make plans for behavioral and mental health. Health systems are getting creative to safely provide care for patients who are dealing with severe mental/behavioral health issues. Design strategies include secure entry points, fortified building materials like impact-resistant drywall and safety glass, and exam rooms that can quickly flex to behavioral health patient use. For instance, one project features hidden garage doors in the ceiling of flexible patient rooms that come down and cover medical gasses in the headwall.
Download the report at: BDCnetwork.com/2024-Healthcare-Annual.
Related Stories
| Aug 11, 2010
Diffenbaugh completes construction of Loma Linda University Highland Springs Medical Plaza
J.D. Diffenbaugh, Inc. has completed construction of the new Highland Springs Medical Center for California's Loma Linda University Medical Center that will significantly enhance the access to medical services for families in the Inland Empire. The project was developed by Lillibridge Healthcare Services, Inc., one of the nation’s largest private healthcare real estate firms.
| Aug 11, 2010
Arup, SOM top BD+C's ranking of the country's largest mixed-use design firms
A ranking of the Top 75 Mixed-Use Design Firms based on Building Design+Construction's 2009 Giants 300 survey. For more Giants 300 rankings, visit http://www.BDCnetwork.com/Giants
| Aug 11, 2010
Structure Tone, Turner among the nation's busiest reconstruction contractors, according to BD+C's Giants 300 report
A ranking of the Top 75 Reconstruction Contractors based on Building Design+Construction's 2009 Giants 300 survey. For more Giants 300 rankings, visit http://www.BDCnetwork.com/Giants
| Aug 11, 2010
Best AEC Firms of 2011/12
Later this year, we will launch Best AEC Firms 2012. We’re looking for firms that create truly positive workplaces for their AEC professionals and support staff. Keep an eye on this page for entry information. +
| Aug 11, 2010
Call for entries: Building enclosure design awards
The Boston Society of Architects and the Boston chapter of the Building Enclosure Council (BEC-Boston) have announced a High Performance Building award that will assess building enclosure innovation through the demonstrated design, construction, and operation of the building enclosure.
| Aug 11, 2010
Portland Cement Association offers blast resistant design guide for reinforced concrete structures
Developed for designers and engineers, "Blast Resistant Design Guide for Reinforced Concrete Structures" provides a practical treatment of the design of cast-in-place reinforced concrete structures to resist the effects of blast loads. It explains the principles of blast-resistant design, and how to determine the kind and degree of resistance a structure needs as well as how to specify the required materials and details.
| Aug 11, 2010
AIA selects three projects for National Healthcare Design Awards
The American Institute of Architects (AIA) Academy of Architecture for Health (AAH) have selected the recipients of the AIA National Healthcare Design Awards program. The AIA Healthcare Awards program showcases the best of healthcare building design and healthcare design-oriented research. Projects exhibit conceptual strengths that solve aesthetic, civic, urban, and social concerns as well as the requisite functional and sustainability concerns of a hospital.
