This morning marks roughly 48 hours since my family and I emerged from our temporary home not knowing what we’d find in the wake of Hurricane Irma. After a circuitous route home, we pulled into our driveway with the same uncertainty. We’re among those fortunate enough to have minimal damage and are fully functional with power and water. Millions of our fellow Floridians were not as fortunate and are still waiting for power and water. Pictures from the Caribbean and the Florida Keys are heartbreaking to look at and I find myself pondering if I would have the strength to endure what thousands are presently enduring. My family is truly fortunate and grateful.
Planning for Disaster
As the storm approached Florida, two of our clients battened down the hatches in relatively new hospitals, designed specifically to withstand significant weather events like Hurricane Irma. During a situation like this there are three things I know to be true: Mother Nature can be quite unpredictable, no facility is infallible and no plan is foolproof. Despite this, patients and families in our clients’ facilities could take comfort in knowing these buildings were designed with severe weather in mind. The leadership of these organizations had a specific vision to commission the design and construction of these facilities to withstand these weather events and then backed that vision up with the funding to make it happen. A few significant design outcomes of this vision were:
- Generators that keep air conditioning functioning when the power goes out
- Glass designed to withstand significant impact from airborne debris
- Wells to bring water from the ground to replace city water
These are features we all hope are never needed but require significant investment and commitment from the organizations’ leadership. Are these additions truly worth the cost when there are so many other issues competing for capital dollars? If you ask this same question to the families, patients and staff who faced Irma in those buildings, you would get a resounding “yes.” This week, the vision those leaders had a decade ago, came to fruition.
Setting Priorities
Not all hospitals have, (or should have), the same vision that these organizations did, but a significant step in planning a major capital project is knowing what you want to get from your facilities and what you feel is most important. Owners have the ability to set the tone and direction, and they have the most impact on new projects at the beginning of the project life cycle. The ability to clearly communicate specific priorities to your team is among the most important tasks the owner’s leadership team will perform. In essence, if you don’t know what you want out of your new facility, then how will you know if you’ve achived it once completed?
Take the time to reflect and put in writing the vision for your new project. Know that each organization has its own needs and priorities; yours are specific to your patients, staff and community. Common features to consider include:
- Resiliency
- Family accommodations
- Flexibility of space
- Ease of expansion
Organizations should take time to consider the entire spectrum of possibilities and narrow down a list that will most benefit your organization. Keep in mind this work does not end when the vision is written down; it will resurface as cost estimates come in and roadblocks need to be worked through. Having a clear organizational vision that everyone is on board with will be extremely helpful as you overcome obstacles and challenges.
Conclusion
Devastating events like Hurricanes Irma and Harvey have a way of clarifying complicated issues - How do you protect and save life? Knowing what you want to get from your facilities is an invaluable step towards successful capital planning. Healthcare leaders and those engaged in new facility projects should take time to ensure the project vision is clear and at the forefront of each team member’s mind. Once project priorities are developed and clearly communicated,the better your chance of team member engagement ultimately leading to a successfully completed project.
Related Stories
Giants 400 | Jan 22, 2024
Top 60 Outpatient Facility Construction Firms for 2023
DPR Construction, PCL Construction Enterprises, The Whiting-Turner Contracting Company, Skanska USA, and Power Construction top BD+C's ranking of the nation's largest outpatient facility general contractors and construction management (CM) firms for 2023, as reported in the 2023 Giants 400 Report. Note: This ranking includes construction revenue for work related to outpatient medical buildings, including cancer centers, heart centers, urgent care facilities, and other medical centers.
Sponsored | BD+C University Course | Jan 17, 2024
Waterproofing deep foundations for new construction
This continuing education course, by Walter P Moore's Amos Chan, P.E., BECxP, CxA+BE, covers design considerations for below-grade waterproofing for new construction, the types of below-grade systems available, and specific concerns associated with waterproofing deep foundations.
Healthcare Facilities | Jan 16, 2024
A new mental health center in Miami offers alternatives to incarceration
The seven-story building has 208 beds.
Giants 400 | Jan 15, 2024
Top 90 Hospital Facility Construction Firms for 2023
Turner Construction, Brasfield & Gorrie, JE Dunn Construction, McCarthy Holdings, and STO Building Group top BD+C's ranking of the nation's largest hospital facility general contractors and construction management (CM) firms for 2023, as reported in the 2023 Giants 400 Report.
Giants 400 | Jan 15, 2024
Top 80 Hospital Facility Engineering Firms for 2023
Jacobs, WSP, BR+A, IMEG, and AECOM head BD+C's ranking of the nation's largest hospital facility engineering and engineering/architecture (EA) firms for 2023, as reported in the 2023 Giants 400 Report.
Giants 400 | Jan 15, 2024
Top 130 Hospital Facility Architecture Firms for 2023
HKS, HDR, Stantec, CannonDesign, and Page Southerland Page top BD+C's ranking of the nation's largest hospital facility architecture and architecture engineering (AE) firms for 2023, as reported in the 2023 Giants 400 Report.
Healthcare Facilities | Jan 7, 2024
Two new projects could be economic catalysts for a central New Jersey city
A Cancer Center and Innovation district are under construction and expected to start opening in 2025 in New Brunswick.
Designers | Jan 3, 2024
Designing better built environments for a neurodiverse world
For most of human history, design has mostly considered “typical users” who are fully able-bodied without clinical or emotional disabilities. The problem with this approach is that it offers a limited perspective on how space can positively or negatively influence someone based on their physical, mental, and sensory abilities.
Healthcare Facilities | Dec 19, 2023
A new hospital in Duluth, Minn., is now the region’s largest healthcare facility
In Duluth, Minn., the new St. Mary’s Medical Center, designed by EwingCole, is now the largest healthcare facility in the region. The hospital consolidates Essentia Health’s healthcare services under one roof. At about 1 million sf spanning two city blocks, St. Mary’s overlooks Lake Superior, providing views on almost every floor of the world’s largest freshwater lake.
Healthcare Facilities | Dec 7, 2023
New $650 million Baptist Health Care complex opens in Pensacola
Baptist Health Care’s new $650 million healthcare complex opened recently in Pensacola, Fla. Featuring a 10-story, 268-bed hospital, the project “represents the single-largest investment in the healthcare history of northwest Florida,” said Gresham Smith project executive Robert “Skip” Yauger, AIA, LEED AP. The 602,000 sf Baptist Hospital is equipped with a Level II trauma center that provides 61 exam rooms and three triage areas.