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
Healthcare Facilities | Jun 16, 2015
Heatherwick’s design for cancer center branch has ‘healing power’
The architect describes it as “a collection of stepped planter elements”
Healthcare Facilities | May 27, 2015
Roadmap for creating an effective sustainability program in healthcare environments
With a constant drive for operational efficiencies and reduction of costs under an outcome-based healthcare environment, there are increasing pressures to ensure that sustainability initiatives are not only cost effective, but socially and environmentally responsible. CBRE's Dyann Hamilton offers tips on establishing a strong program.
Healthcare Facilities | May 27, 2015
Rochester, Minn., looks to escape Twin Cities’ shadow with $6.5 billion biotech development
The 20-year plan would also be a boon to Mayo Clinic, this city’s best-known address.
Healthcare Facilities | Apr 28, 2015
10 things about Ebola from Eagleson Institute's infectious disease colloquium
Research institutions know how to handle life-threatening, highly contagious diseases like Ebola in the lab, but how do we handle them in healthcare settings?
Green | Apr 22, 2015
AIA Committee on the Environment recognizes Top 10 Green Projects
Seattle's Bullitt Center and the University Center at The New School are among AIA's top 10 green buildings for 2015.
Building Team Awards | Apr 10, 2015
14 projects that push AEC teaming to the limits
From Lean construction to tri-party IPD to advanced BIM/VDC coordination, these 14 Building Teams demonstrate the power of collaboration in delivering award-winning buildings. These are the 2015 Building Team Award winners.
Building Team Awards | Apr 10, 2015
Prefab saves the day for Denver hospital
Mortenson Construction and its partners completed the 831,000-sf, $623 million Saint Joseph Hospital well before the January 1, 2015, deadline, thanks largely to their extensive use of offsite prefabrication.
Building Team Awards | Apr 10, 2015
Virtual collaboration helps complete a hospital in 24 months
PinnacleHealth needed a new hospital STAT! This team delivered it in two years, start to finish.
Building Team Awards | Apr 9, 2015
Big D’s billion-dollar baby: New Parkland Hospital Tops the Chart | BD+C
Dallas’s new $1.27 billion public hospital preserves an important civic anchor, Texas-style.
Building Team Awards | Apr 9, 2015
‘Prudent, not opulent’ sets the tone for this Catholic hospital
This Building Team stuck with a project for seven years to get a new hospital built for a faithful client.