flexiblefullpage
billboard
interstitial1
catfish1
Currently Reading

HEALTHCARE GIANTS: Age-simulation technology aids design for the mobility impaired

HEALTHCARE GIANTS: Age-simulation technology aids design for the mobility impaired

As the 65+ population continues to rise, the AEC industry needs to better understand the stresses and anxieties those who are mobility impaired face when navigating spaces like medical facilities.


By David Barista, Editorial Director | August 8, 2016

Wes Tafoya, an architectural intern with Corgan, ascends stairs wearing the GERT suit at the firm's Dallas headquarters. The headphones mimic high-frequency hearing loss and tinnitus. The glasses simulate impaired vision. The weights, wraps, and gloves replicate joint stiffness, reduced grip, and loss of coordination-even back bain and paralysis. To see what it's like to wear the GERT suit in an airport, go to: http://bit.ly/28LDkPT

By 2030, a fifth of the U.S. population will be 65 or older, according to the Census Bureau. This cohort and succeeding generations are expected to live longer than their predecessors, and remain much more active into their later years.

TOP 90 HEALTHCARE ARCHITECTURE FIRMS
Rank, Firm, 2015 Revenue
1. HDR $189,259,600
2. Stantec $169,505,425
3. Perkins+Will $147,640,000
4. HKS $134,427,510
5. CannonDesign $130,000,000
6. SmithGroupJJR $80,272,000
7. NBBJ $80,000,000
8. CallisonRTKL $69,955,000
9. HGA $67,221,000
10. HOK $59,887,000

SEE FULL LIST

 

TOP 100 HEALTHCARE CONSTRUCTION FIRMS
Rank, Firm, 2015 Revenue
1. Turner Construction Co. $2,013,969,043
2. McCarthy Holdings $974,575,751
3. Skanska USA $909,329,296
4. Brasfield & Gorrie $889,780,920
5. JE Dunn Construction $775,645,914
6. DPR Construction $752,608,000
7. Robins & Morton $629,700,000
8. PCL Construction Enterprises $612,506,352
9. Whiting-Turner Contracting Co., The $536,246,481
10. Gilbane Building Co. $503,914,000

SEE FULL LIST

 

TOP 80 HEALTHCARE ENGINEERING FIRMS
Rank, Firm, 2015 Revenue
1. AECOM $90,000,000
2. Jacobs $78,010,000
3. WSP | Parsons Brinckerhoff $55,480,000
4. BR+A Consulting Engineers $46,000,000
5. KJWW / TTG $39,820,000
6. Smith Seckman Reid $38,668,017
7. Affiliated Engineers $36,208,000
8. BSA LifeStructures $31,488,415
9. Mazzetti $25,966,258
10. TLC Engineering for Architecture $21,012,432

SEE FULL LIST

Michael Steiner, AIA, LEED AP, an Associate with Corgan, recently collaborated with the firm’s Francie Abell, Interior Designer, and Landon Moore, Architect, on an age-simulation research project. The goal: to better understand the stresses and anxieties that the 65+ and the mobility-impaired population face when navigating spaces like medical facilities, workplaces, schools, and airports.

“The goal is to elevate awareness of this issue and make sure that we’re designing with these folks in mind,” says Steiner. 

At the heart of the Corgan study is the GERontologic Test suit (GERT), an age-simulation ensemble that incorporates weights, gloves, glasses, wraps, and headphones that tack 40 years of wear and tear on the user. 

Using the GERT suit, Corgan designers experienced first-hand the difficulties that the elderly and mobility impaired confront every day. They walked through four Corgan-designed buildings—Dallas Love Field Airport; Daugherty Elementary, Garland, Texas; Moncrief Cancer Institute, Fort Worth; and Corgan’s headquarters in Dallas. They completed a series of tasks at each location, once wearing the GERT suit and once without.

Simple exercises—grabbing a can of soda from a refrigerator, pulling a roller suitcase through an airport terminal, carrying books down a school hallway, climbing a staircase, working on a desktop computer, taking notes, locating a specific binder on a bookshelf—were excruciatingly difficult for many of the users.

It took participants 52–73% longer to complete the tasks with the GERT suit on than without it.  

LESSONS LEARNED 

Based on their observations (see below), Corgan’s team offers the following takeaways: 

• Consider wayfinding strategies with multiple elements and large signs. Participants tended to look down and reacted more slowly, which led them to miss signage. Wayfinding strategies that incorporate both floor and wall elements could help improve communication.

• Investigate signage locations with areas of bright light and intense shadow. Consider films or frits to help reduce the amount of glare and strong shadows. Minimize the use of white finishes in brightly lit spaces, which can cause glare.

• Include “fatigue mitigation” stations. Break up long distances with areas where occupants can rest and confirm the correct direction. 

• Avoid changes in level along primary pathways. Make sure elevator/escalator cores are readily visible and accessible.

Design with multiple senses in mind. Some users use sight, others depend on touch, sound, or smell.

• Provide seating of different levels (e.g., standard seats, high seats, and something to lean on).

• White text on green was by far the most preferred signage method. White text on blue was also very effective. Backlit signage is highly recommended.

• Avoid using low, protruding objects, such as low chairs and tables.

 

For more: http://tinyurl.com/CorganAge.

 

RETURN TO THE GIANTS 300 LANDING PAGE

Related Stories

Healthcare Facilities | Jan 30, 2018

Buffett, Bezos, Dimon partner to tackle the U.S. healthcare system

The three mega companies—Amazon, Berkshire Hathaway, and JPMorgan Chase—will pursue the formation of an independent company that is “free from profit-making incentives and constraints” when it comes to U.S. employee healthcare.

Healthcare Facilities | Jan 29, 2018

The new Virginia Tech Biomedical Research Addition will include research facilities in five thematic areas

The project is a collaboration between Carilion Clinic and Virginia Tech.

Healthcare Facilities | Jan 10, 2018

Healthcare market year in review for 2017

While we have not fully turned the corner on healthcare reform and in particular healthcare payment reform, 2017 confirmed trends of consumerism and the need for more proximate low-cost options.

Retail Centers | Jan 9, 2018

The addition of a medical practice is part of the cure for reviving a shopping mall in Scranton, Pa.

Delta Medix is one of several tenants that are changing the image of the Marketplace at Steamtown.

Healthcare Facilities | Jan 6, 2018

A new precision dental center embodies Columbia University’s latest direction for oral medicine education

The facility, which nests at “the core” of the university’s Medical Center, relies heavily on technology and big data. 

Healthcare Facilities | Dec 11, 2017

2018 predictions for healthcare facility design

From emergency departments to microhospitals, to the amenities in and locations of hospitals, the year ahead will see continued changes in how healthcare providers are designing and equipping their facilities.

Market Data | Dec 5, 2017

Top health systems engaged in $21 billion of U.S. construction projects

Largest active projects are by Sutter Health, New York Presbyterian, and Scripps Health.

Healthcare Facilities | Nov 30, 2017

Scope it out

How to design and build what’s needed to meet organizational goals and strategies.

University Buildings | Nov 28, 2017

FXFOWLE and CO Architects collaborate on Columbia University School of Nursing building

The building has a ‘collaboration ribbon’ that runs throughout the building.

boombox1
boombox2
native1

More In Category

Healthcare Facilities

Watch on-demand: Key Trends in the Healthcare Facilities Market for 2024-2025

Join the Building Design+Construction editorial team for this on-demand webinar on key trends, innovations, and opportunities in the $65 billion U.S. healthcare buildings market. A panel of healthcare design and construction experts present their latest projects, trends, innovations, opportunities, and data/research on key healthcare facilities sub-sectors. A 2024-2025 U.S. healthcare facilities market outlook is also presented.




Mass Timber

British Columbia hospital features mass timber community hall

The Cowichan District Hospital Replacement Project in Duncan, British Columbia, features an expansive community hall featuring mass timber construction. The hall, designed to promote social interaction and connection to give patients, families, and staff a warm and welcoming environment, connects a Diagnostic and Treatment (“D&T”) Block and Inpatient Tower.

halfpage1

Most Popular Content

  1. 2021 Giants 400 Report
  2. Top 150 Architecture Firms for 2019
  3. 13 projects that represent the future of affordable housing
  4. Sagrada Familia completion date pushed back due to coronavirus
  5. Top 160 Architecture Firms 2021