Earning Fundas

Woolpert Acquires Bermello Ajamil & Partners In Miami, Florida

2024-01-27T05:15:00.003+05:30

Woolpert, a Dayton, Ohio-based architecture, engineering, geospatial, and strategic consulting firm, has acquired Bermello Ajamil & Partners (BA; Miami, Fla.), a full-service architecture, engineering, planning, and landscape architecture firm.

The deal enhances Woolpert’s ability to provide full architecture, engineering, and interior design services across a variety of markets and accelerates its growth in several sectors, including healthcare.

For more news on Woolpert, go here.

Boca Raton Regional Hospital Unveils Toby And Leon Cooperman Medical Arts Pavilion In Florida

2024-01-27T05:15:00.001+05:30

Boca Raton Regional Hospital opened the Toby and Leon Cooperman Medical Arts Pavilion on its campus in Boca Raton, Fla.

The 61,500-square-foot freestanding facility includes medical specialty clinics for orthopedics, urology, and colorectal care; physician offices; an ambulatory surgery center; and a parking garage.

Nelson Worldwide (Minneapolis) was the designer and builder on the three-story facility.

Parkview Health Expands Outpatient Center Into Full-service Hospital In Warsaw, Indiana

2024-01-23T20:15:00.001+05:30

Parkview Health (Fort Wayne, Ind.) has completed expansion of its Parkview Warsaw outpatient center into a full-service hospital called Parkview Kosciusko Hospital in Warsaw, Ind.

The project involved adding 88,000 square feet to the existing 86,000-square-foot building

The four-story hospital, which offers inpatient and outpatient care, includes two operating rooms and two procedure rooms on the second floor, as well as areas for pre- and post-surgical care spaces. Additionally, temporary shell space is available to be converted into operating rooms or procedure rooms, depending on future demand.

The third floor features an inpatient unit which can accommodate up to 28 patients with varying levels of care. The hospital plans to open with 12 beds, with more added as demand increases.

The new hospital also comprises a café, administrative offices, and classrooms on the lower level.

Design Strategies To Improve Healthcare Campus Safety

2024-01-22T22:15:00.001+05:30

As staff recruitment and retention remain major challenges in the healthcare industry, how can healthcare organizations ensure staff members feel safe in their work environments? This question has been a driving force behind design conversations in recent years.

The Bureau of Labor Statistics reports that the rate of injuries from violent attacks against medical professionals grew by 63 percent from 2011 to 2018, and hospital safety directors say aggression against staff escalated as the COVID-19 pandemic intensified in 2020.

In a 2022 survey by National Nurses United, the nation’s largest union of registered nurses, 48 percent of the more than 2,000 responding nurses reported an increase in workplace violence—more than double the percentage from a year earlier.

Safety considerations were previously limited in large part to behavioral health units. However, because of an increase in mental health issues and violence in the general population in recent years, stronger safety considerations, including enhanced exam room designs and increased visibility, are now a pressing need in all areas of hospitals and clinics.

Safety strategies for healthcare facilities

According to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), possible sources of violence in hospitals, nursing homes, and other healthcare settings include verbal threats or physical attacks by patients, distraught family members who may be abusive or even become active aggressors, gang violence, domestic disputes that spill over into the workplace, and coworker bullying.

To prepare for and shield healthcare staff against agitated or aggravated patients and visitors, here are some essential design elements to consider on healthcare campuses, including exam rooms, emergency departments, and nurses’ stations.

Exam rooms: Starting with the exam room, design strategies should always mindfully establish the position of the patient and staff to the doorway. There should be a clear exit path for staff, and patients should never be able to block a staff member’s path to the door.

Staff members should also have access to charts or computers without turning their backs to patients. This helps reduce surprises and allows staff members to remain aware of their surroundings.

In some cases, a second exit point on the opposite side of an exam room may be considered for additional safety, so that if the patient were to block an exit in the room, there is another door for staff to retreat to, if needed. This strategy is especially utilized in emergency departments where there may be a higher volume of patients that can become agitated.

Emergency department: When designing emergency departments (EDs), any area where a staff member has first contact with patients requires enhanced safety considerations until the patient’s safety risk can be assessed. For example, patients might receive initial treatment in triage rooms where adrenaline can be elevated. Providing a second exit way in an opposite location of the room is one way to increase security measures, if possible.

Additionally, the nurses’ station, which should be in an area with visibility to patients and visitors. Project teams should also strategically locate campus security desks in visible areas to keep security personnel nearby if a situation were to arise, particularly during evening and nighttime hours.

Technology measures: Security cameras in waiting rooms and reception areas, along with an accessible duress button to use if circumstances escalate and a patient becomes aggravated, are key strategies to consider. Technological enhancements to ED entrances and registration areas can also provide an added level of security, including metal detectors and cameras in lobbies and behind the reception desk to allow for better awareness of surroundings.

Lockdown buttons are now a necessity to secure the front entrance if an aggressor is known to be coming or if there are additional aggravated visitors. Code-green buttons provide additional support by alerting security of any issues. Then safety personnel can quickly go to the cameras to see where help is needed and get people in or out.

Consultation rooms: Patient services and consultation rooms need to allow for some privacy for confidential conversations. To create a sense of transparency as well as security, interior windows or glass panels can be used to give other staff nearby the ability to observe staff-patient interactions and provide backup if needed.

Similar to other areas, computers should be viewable by staff without having their backs to patients, and there should be a clear exit path along with a duress button in case of emergency.

Healthcare facility entrances and lobbies: There are many design considerations to protect the clinical area from the lobby view, so the area stays secure in the event of an active shooter or aggressor. Starting with the front-entrance sequence, the registration area and primary entry points need to be protected against unwanted intruders. The front reception desk should be strategically placed in a highly visible location with access to the back of house.

Additionally, visitors and patients shouldn’t have the ability to walk behind the reception desk or in any part of the facility that gives them a direct link to staff or clinical areas.

The reception desk can be protected by doors, card readers, and, in some cases, added safety glass, with a separate door out of the space to easily get staff to safety without having to step into the lobby.

The ability to lock down the back of the house and provide staff in the lobby with a safe exit if the rest of the building is locked down are also important considerations.

Strengthening on-campus safety

Preparing for situations with agitated or aggravated patients and visitors is essential to creating proactive buffers against active and potential threats.

Design considerations such as multiple exit paths, duress buttons, and lockdown capabilities are just a few of the many ways to strategically approach healthcare campus safety planning.

Sara Malin is a healthcare architect and principal at Wold Architects & Engineers (St. Paul, Minn.) and can be reached at smalin@woldae.com. Andrew Jordan is a healthcare planner and principal at Wold Architects & Engineers (St. Paul) and can be reached at ajordan@woldae.com.

For more on this topic, read “Designing For Staff Safety In Healthcare Facilities.”

LF Driscoll Announces Executive Promotions, New Hire

2024-01-22T21:15:00.001+05:30

Philadelphia-based construction management firm LF Driscoll announced several recent staffing changes.

Michael Dikon and Matthew Guinan have been elevated to vice presidents.

Dikon, who has been with the firm for 18 years, has worked on projects for Penn Medicine in Philadelphia, as well as Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP).

Joining the firm two decades ago, Guinan has led the construction of more than $2.5 billion of healthcare projects, including work for both CHOP and Penn Medicine.

Additionally, Michael Wolfe has re-joined the firm as vice president. Wolfe has been involved in several large-scale healthcare projects including St. Rose Dominican Hospital – San Martin Campus in Las Vegas, Phoenix Children’s Hospital (Phoenix), and University of California San Diego Jacobs Medical Center in San Diego.

Children’s Hospital Colorado Staff Lounge, Aurora, Colorado: Photo Tour

2024-01-20T02:15:00.001+05:30

Children’s Hospital Colorado Staff Lounge, Aurora, Colorado

In need of a larger respite space for staff, Children’s Hospital Colorado (Aurora, Colo.) decided to renovate shell space into an expanded staff lounge into as part of the hospital’s commitment to the well-being of its staff.

Working with SmithGroup (Denver), the project team led a series of visioning sessions and in-depth workshops with more than 40 physicians and surgeons. The design team then translated that feedback on staff wants and needs into a modern, light-filled space that’s designed to foster collaboration, relaxation, and rejuvenation.

Updating healthcare staff spaces

Located adjacent to the surgery platform, the new 3,400-square-foot lounge is more than triple the size of the old one. Designers utilized current wellness and workplace concepts to provide alternative spaces and flexibility within the lounge for users.

For example, staff have a choice of collaboration or touchdown spaces as well as places to retreat, relax, and decompress.

Comfortable seating nooks throughout the lounge serve dual purposes, providing space for collaboration, peer-to-peer support, or moments of respite. Private workspaces offer a quiet location for charting and other focused tasks.

One of the standout features of the new lounge is a kitchen and dining area, complete with a high-top coffee bar, where staff can socialize and connect with their peers over a meal or cup of coffee.

Additional amenities include a lactation room, recharge/wellness room, and ensuite restroom.

Children’s Hospital Colorado Staff Lounge, Aurora, Colorado, project details

Location: Aurora, Colo.

Completion Date: May 2022

Owner: Children’s Hospital Colorado

Total Building Area: 3,400 sq. ft.

Total Construction Cost: $869,600

Cost/sq. ft.: $255

Architect: SmithGroup

Interior designer: SmithGroup

General Contractor: McCarthy

Engineer: Cator, Rumor & Associates

Builder: McCarthy

Expansion of Sharp Rees-Stealy Otay Ranch Medical Center Underway

2024-01-19T21:16:00.001+05:30

Sharp Rees-Stealy Otay Ranch Medical Center in San Diego has completed the first phase of a $86 million multiphase expansion.

Opened in December 2023, the project included a new four-level parking garage with capacity for 610 vehicles.

The next phase will add a two-story medical office building (MOB) with an urgent care center, advanced imaging technology, and expanded services.

The project team includes HGW Architecture (architect and interior designer; San Diego) and DPR Construction (general contractor; San Diego).

James Pulsipher Regional Cancer Center and Monument View Medical Plaza Opens In Colorado

2024-01-18T23:15:00.001+05:30

James Pulsipher Regional Cancer Center and Monument View Medical Plaza Opens In Colorado

[dek] The 130,000-square-foot project is part of Community Hospital and includes cardiology, women’s health, and pulmonology services.

Community Hospital, part of West Healthcare System in Grand Junction, Colo., opened the $81 million James Pulsipher Regional Cancer Center and Monument View Medical Plaza in Grand Junction.

The 130,000-square-foot facility houses the new cancer center, which includes Grand Valley Oncology, as well as cardiology, cardiopulmonary rehabilitation, women’s health, and pulmonology services.

Community Hospital is a Level III trauma center offering outpatient diagnostic services and inpatient care for the Western Slope region of Colorado and eastern Utah. For more on Community Hospital, go here.

HOK Adopts Regional Structure For Its Healthcare Practice

2024-01-18T21:16:00.001+05:30

Global design, architecture, engineering, and planning firm HOK is implementing a new regional structure for its healthcare practice to make it easier to build project teams from across the firm and support regional healthcare leaders in business development, strategy, and thought leadership.

Chris Korsh and Mitchell Collin are joining Amine Khemakhem, Paul Strohm, and Scott Rawlings as directors of healthcare.

Each director will have a geographical focus, including:

Amine Khemakhem, West Coast, Asia, and the Middle East
Chris Korsh, Northeast, Canada, and UK
Mitchell Collin, Southeast
Paul Strohm, Midwest
Scott Rawlings, National resource for strategic initiatives and design advancement

Additional healthcare promotions in the regional HOK studios include Laura Poltronieri to regional leader of healthcare for the Northeast; Karen Carvalho to healthcare practice leader for Florida; Kathleen Schwarz to director of healthcare consulting; and Anthony Roesch as senior healthcare strategist.

Åsaheimen Nursing Home, Åsane, Bergen, Norway

2024-01-18T08:15:00.001+05:30

Åsaheimen Nursing Home, Åsane, Bergen, Norway

Åsaheimen Nursing Home was built on a hill in the center of Åsane, Bergen, on the southwest coast of Norway and comprises 100 resident rooms, large common spaces, and outdoor areas.

The skilled nursing home offers space for 100 residents with dementia and other diseases that cause deterioration in cognitive function.

The goal was to deliver the project using Lean, universal design, and BREEAM Excellent certification for sustainability strategies, including ample natural light and views of the surrounding nature.

Maximizing the site

The community is organized in four buildings that are situated to adapt within the landscape, creating a variety of outdoor spaces including small gardens and outdoor social areas. Varying in height and color, the buildings give the impression of multiple smaller buildings existing in harmony, rather than one large complex.

The exterior façades are designed to be low maintenance, playful, and transparent. This is achieved by using metal cladding, and timber details in the outdoor ceilings, entrance areas, and window placements.

Each buildings houses 10 private residential units and a communal space around a central core. The layout is slightly different in each building to adapt to the light conditions and surrounding views.

Creating communal space for seniors

The four buildings are connected by a central hub known as the “Heart Zone.” Warm materials, integrated artwork, comfortable furniture, and a selection of lighting and plants help create a cozy and sensory-rich atmosphere, while large windows flood the space with natural light and provide calming views of the garden and nearby woods.

The Heart Zone’s outdoor spaces such as balconies, gardens, and a large, partially covered rooftop terrace are also easily accessible.

Creating a homelike setting in resident rooms

The residents’ rooms are designed to feel bright and homelike, with floor-to-ceiling windows, natural materials, and a calming color palette. The entrance to each residential unit houses a wardrobe for residents and visitors to hang their coats.

Additional spaces in the community include bright and contemporary staff meeting rooms and offices; dedicated rooms for residents to have appointments with a doctor, dentist, and hairdresser; and several activity rooms.

Åsaheimen Nursing Home project details

Location: Åsane, Bergen, Norway

Completion date: December 2022

Owner: Bergen municipality

Total building area: 114,097 sq. ft.

Total construction cost: $35 million

Cost/sq. ft.: $309/sq. ft.

Architect: Nordic Office of Architecture

Interior designer: Nordic Office of Architecture/Norconsult

General contractor: Skanska

Engineer: Norconsult

Builder: Skanska

Healthcare Design Launches 2024 A/E/C Survey

2024-01-18T03:16:00.001+05:30

Healthcare Design is once again taking the industry’s pulse with the 2024 A/E/C Survey. From the size and cost of projects completed to the primary drivers behind new work on the boards, we’re asking firms to share a glimpse of how they fared last year.

The data reported from participating architecture/engineering and construction firms—including the number of new contracts signed, total healthcare revenue, and a breakdown of project types— will be analyzed for an in-depth state-of-the-industry report, with data shared in the April 2022 issue of Healthcare Design and at hcdmagazine.com.

The deadline to respond is Feb. 16. Please note that only one submission per firm is permitted; participating firms must U.S.-based and have completed at least one healthcare project in 2023.

Here’s a link to coverage of the 2022 A/E/C Survey for an example of how this valuable data helps to tell the industry’s story.

Complete the survey online here: https://survey.alchemer.com/s3/7677600/2024-Healthcare-Design-A-E-C-Survey

To preview questions prior to completing the survey, see this PDF: 2024 AEC Survey PDF.

Please send questions to Brand Director Jennifer Kovacs Silvis at jennifer.silvis@emeraldx.com.

University of Pennsylvania Health System To Acquire Doylestown Health

2024-01-17T21:16:00.001+05:30

The University of Pennsylvania Health System (UPHS; Philadelphia), part of Penn Medicine (Philadelphia), is acquiring nonprofit Doylestown Health (Doylestown, Pa.).

The deal will expand UPHS’ network into Bucks County, Pa., and includes the flagship Doylestown Hospital, a 247-bed teaching facility in Doylestown.

The acquisition will build on UPHS’ and Doylestown Health’s existing relationship. For example, Doylestown Hospital is part of the Penn Cancer Network, a group of hospitals and physician practices that collaborates with Penn Medicine’s Abramson Cancer Center throughout the Philadelphia area.

Doylestown Hospital will become the seventh hospital under the UPHS umbrella.

Little Diversified Architectural Consulting Names New Healthcare Studio Principal

2024-01-17T20:15:00.001+05:30

Architecture and design firm Little Diversified Architectural Consulting (Charlotte, N.C.) has promoted Helena Cheung to healthcare studio principal, based in the firm’s Orlando, Fla., office.

Cheung joined Little in 2020 and previously served as a senior project architect and project manager at the firm.

She has more than a decade of experience in the industry, including her work as a project architect at RLF (Orlando).

Plunkett Raysich Architects Expands Leadership In Sarasota, Florida

2024-01-17T01:15:00.001+05:30

Architecture and interior design firm Plunkett Raysich Architects LLP (Milwaukee) promoted Jedd Heap to partner in the Sarasota/Bradenton, Fla., region.

In his new role, Heap will continue to work with Florida design clients and help make strategic decisions.

In his three years with Plunkett Raysich Architects, he has been involved in several healthcare projects including Suncoast Orthopaedic Surgery & Sports Medicine in Venice, Fla. He’s also slated to work on projects for Premier NeuroSpine Institute in Pinellas Park, Fla., and Dolphin Medical Group in Parrish, Fla.

2024 Presents New Opportunities For Healthcare Design Sector And Brand

2024-01-16T21:15:00.001+05:30

In 2013 I sat down to write my first blog for Healthcare Design, introducing myself as the newest member of the editorial staff. I was coming from a 10-year post covering retail design, where I thought I’d learned the language of architects and designers and how to cover layout planning, lighting, wayfinding, materials and finishes, and all the other details that go into the built environment.

However, one interview into a flooring trends article, I realized healthcare was a different animal.

Feeling a little overwhelmed by building codes, facility types, and project team members’ roles, I picked up the phone and began talking to sources and meeting industry leaders at our conferences and events. And I soon realized how committed the healthcare design community is to knowledge sharing to help drive this industry (and an editor’s understanding of it) forward.

Healthcare Design brand and sector evolves

Eleven years later, this sector has evolved quite a bit in the time I’ve been covering it, from strides in sustainability and behavioral health design to responding to the needs of staff and the shift in care delivery to more outpatient facilities.

And at the end of 2023, HCD announced its own evolution, with Jennifer Kovacs Silvis taking the helm as our new brand director and my promotion to editor-in-chief. I’m thrilled with this new opportunity, and already, the year is off to an exciting start. We’ll soon launch the biennial A/E/C Survey this month as well as kick off Healthcare Design’s Breaking Through conceptual design competition that celebrates out-of-the-box thinking. Reservations for entries are due Feb. 2.

Speaking of innovative ideas, this month’s Product Issue spotlights winners of the annual Nightingale Awards, as well as a deeper look from some of this year’s awards judges on where manufacturers and suppliers are succeeding in meeting the industry’s product needs and where there’s room for improvement. Finally, don’t forget to check out the Buyers’ Guide for a listing of companies that specialize in the products and services you need to hit the ground running in 2024.

As I settle into my new role, I’ve got some new ideas and topics ready to explore, including expanded opportunities for industry contributors. Stay tuned for more.

I also welcome any feedback or ideas you have on projects or industry trends you’d like to see us dig deeper into. Cheers to an exciting new year!

Kai Enterprises Names New Healthcare Leader In Texas

2024-01-12T22:15:00.001+05:30

National design and build firm Kai Enterprises (St. Louis) promoted James Lawrence to architectural studio leader at its Dallas-Fort Worth, Texas, office.

Lawrence’s responsibilities include managing the firm’s healthcare team and providing leadership and direction on projects.

He joined Kai in 2022 as a senior project manager. Before joining the firm, Lawrence served as senior project manager at Mel/Arch Architectural Studio and as a senior project leader at GFF Architecture & Planning, both located in Fort Worth.

Healthcare Design Showcase: Call For Submissions Opens

2024-01-12T21:15:00.001+05:30

Healthcare Design is now accepting reservations for the 2024 Design Showcase. The annual awards program honors the best design and architecture—built and unbuilt—in the healthcare design industry.

Reservations are due March 1, with presentations due March 29.

All projects will be reviewed by a jury of architects, interior designers, providers, and consultants. Those accepted for the program will be published in the August issue of Healthcare Design. Jurors will also give Award of Merit and Honorable Mention honors to the highest-scoring projects, with finalists recognized for outstanding achievement.

Additionally, winners will be celebrated during the magazine’s annual awards luncheon at the 2024 Healthcare Design Conference + Expo , taking place Oct. 5-8, in Indianapolis.

For competition details and to enter, click here.

Contact Donna Hidalgo at donna.hidalgo@emeraldx.com or (210) 419-9017 for more information.

Erdman Announces Leadership Team Promotion

2024-01-11T22:15:00.001+05:30

Healthcare and senior living strategy, design, construction, and development firm Erdman (Madison, Wis.) has promoted Janet Lively McCauley to vice president of healthcare.

Lively McCauley will work with other senior leaders to define the healthcare business development strategy, lead business development and corporate marketing, and spearhead the team’s efforts to connect and collaborate with healthcare leaders.

She joined the firm in 2022 as vice president, business development – healthcare. In 2023, she began overseeing the firm’s marketing department.

For more on Erdman, go here.

Bassett Medical Center Opens Hybrid Cardiac OR In Cooperstown, N.Y.

2024-01-11T19:15:00.001+05:30

Integrated health system Bassett Healthcare Network in Cooperstown, N.Y., opened a new hybrid cardiac operating room (OR) at Bassett Medical Center, its acute care, inpatient teaching facility in Cooperstown.

The 1,000-square-foot project, which aims to expand rapid care for patients with cardiac emergencies, includes a complete cardiac catheterization lab.

The space also will be used for transcarotid artery revascularization, a minimally invasive procedure that can clear blockages and open a narrowed carotid artery.

For more on cardiac care design, go here.

Healthcare Design Opens Call For Product Innovation Awards Submissions

2024-01-11T04:15:00.001+05:30

Submissions are now being accepted for the 2024 Healthcare Design Product Innovation Awards, an annual program that honors advancements in the design of products serving the healthcare design sector.

Manufacturers of healthcare design products, including furniture, lighting, technology, flooring, surfaces, and other design products introduced to the healthcare industry within the last three years (March 2021 to present), are eligible. Prototypes or products not currently being sold are not eligible for this program.

Entry reservations are due Feb. 1, and presentations are due Feb. 12.

Jurors, appointed by Healthcare Design, will review all presentations and decide on a list of top-scoring finalists. Submissions will be evaluated for innovation and contribution to the design of the healthcare environment, including enhanced safety, improved patient comfort, reduced installation/maintenance costs, environmental sustainability, and/or products that solve a specific challenge.

The top three product finalists will be named Gold, Silver, and Bronze winners and receive recognition in the May 2024 issue of Healthcare Design magazine.

Program details and the registration form are available here. For more information, contact Elana Ben-Tor at elana.ben-tor@emeraldx.com.

See last year’s winners and a Product Gallery featuring all products in the May 2023 issue.

$50M Mental Health Treatment Center Planned For Conroe, Texas

2024-01-11T00:15:00.001+05:30

Montgomery County in Conroe, Texas, is planning a $50 million mental health center in Conroe, according to the website houstonchronicle.com.

Situated adjacent to Montgomery County Mental Health Treatment Facility, the new center will house 100 beds and is slated to be completed in June 2025.

The state will fund the facility’s operations, which will be outsourced.

For more on mental health design, go here.

Elisha M. Lorenzi Of EML Interiors LLC

2024-01-10T22:15:00.001+05:30

Elisha M. Lorenzi (Headshot credit: Hocking Hills Portraits)

The owner of EML Interiors LLC (Lancaster, Ohio) shares the design revelation from her first project, a stress-relieving item on her desk, and what career she’d rock if she wasn’t an interior designer.

What drew you to a career in interior design for the healthcare sector?

I always wanted to be an interior designer, but it wasn’t until my internship at architecture and planning firm Karlsberger, in Columbus, Ohio, that I realized healthcare design would be my passion. That summer internship ended up evolving into a full-time interior designer position. Working with Lisa Frasure, a senior interior designer at the firm, forever changed the direction of my design career, showing me the importance and the impact healthcare designers can make in this world. She’s still my mentor, 24 years later.

What was your first healthcare project?

The McConnell Heart Hospital and Emergency Department at OhioHealth—Riverside Methodist Hospital, in Columbus, Ohio. The building design focused primarily on reducing the time when a patient arrived with chest pains in the emergency department and vertically transporting them to the cardiac catheterization lab.

What lesson from that project do you still carry with you today?

The importance of installing resilient sheet flooring down long corridors in the order the rolls were manufactured. The dye lots can vary throughout production, and putting together two pieces that were made at different times of the production process can create a visible difference in color in the flooring.

Three healthcare design projects and your role

Knox Community Hospital, specialty infusion clinic (Image credit: Hocking Hills Portraits)

1 Knox Community Hospital, specialty infusion clinic, Mount Vernon, Ohio, lead interior designer.

2 Lima Memorial Health System, welcome center, Lima, Ohio, lead interior designer.

3 West Virginia University Medicine—Reynolds Memorial Hospital, behavioral health unit, Glen Dale, W. Va., lead interior designer.

What do you like best about working in healthcare design?

The opportunity to work in all types of spaces. It’s like a mini city under an enormous roof. A typical day is never finishing your to-do list. Every day is full of dedication with some challenges, but you’re always advocating for the best possible healing environment for the patients and a supportive space for the staff and families.

What challenges about your work keep you up at night?

My non-stop designing brain. Turning it off is almost impossible, especially when deadlines are approaching.

An unexpected item on your desk

My mini-Himalayan salt rock lamp is always on. Anything that brings me health benefits while working on my computer all day is a bonus.

Outside the office, we’ll likely find you …

At the gym doing CrossFit.

Iris and Ophelia (Image credit: Elisha Lorenzi)

Dog or cat?

I love them both the same. I have two dogs (Iris and Ophelia) and two cats (Jasmine and Violet). If it was possible to rescue every dog I see on Facebook that needs a home, I would.

Coffee or tea?

Coffee in the car on an early day of travel.

Morning person or night owl?

100 percent night owl. I have to get a lot of little things out of the way throughout the day before I can really sit and focus. After dinner is my most productive time to work.

Fashion trend you think should make a comeback

Colors by Benetton perfume.

How did you make your first dollar

My first job was at Lerner of New York in Woodfield Mall in Schaumburg, Ill., as a sales associate with my friends in high school. Then we moved to Express a few stores down.

Your go-to karaoke song

If I had the courage and the voice, I’d sing “Take My Breath Away” by Berlin.

First album you ever bought

“Achtung Baby” by U2.

Cocktail of choice

Cosmopolitan with extra cranberry juice.

Your hidden talent

Driving a manual car.

If you weren’t an interior designer, you would be …

The person who greets and handles the visiting bands or inductees at the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland.

Favorite …

Movie character Harris K. Telemacher in “L.A. Story.” He says exactly what you’re thinking but also finds love when least expected.

Show to binge watch “What We Do in the Shadows.” Each episode is written so well portraying centuries-old vampires trying to navigate the modern world in relatable, absurd, and hilarious situations.

Weekend activity Currently it’s homework for my master’s program at Columbus College of Art & Design (Columbus, Ohio) in user experience (UX) design, which I started this fall.

Band and/musical artist Toad the Wet Sprocket.

Guilty pleasure Cheesecake.

Snack when you travel Soft pretzel and a Coke.

Sport Golf.

Team Cleveland Browns.

Podcast “How I Built This” by Guy Raz. Each episode highlights one business or company and interviews the person who started it from a single vision. It’s inspiring to listen to.

City to visit Los Angeles, whenever I can, to visit my family.

Maimonides Children’s Hospital Expands NICU In Brooklyn

2024-01-10T17:15:00.001+05:30

Maimonides Children’s Hospital in Brooklyn, N.Y., part of Maimonides Health (Brooklyn), has expanded its neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) with 17 beds, bringing the facility’s total to 48 beds.

As part of the expansion, patient room beds are outfitted with cameras, allowing families to see their child through an app.

For more on NICU design, go here.

Cullman Regional Medical Center Completes $30M Expansion In Cullman, Alabama

2024-01-09T23:15:00.001+05:30

Cullman Regional Medical Center completed a $30 million, two-phase expansion project on its campus in Cullman, Ala.

The project added a four-story bed tower and 30 new beds to the hospital’s critical care and medical/surgical units, bringing the facility’s total bed count to 175.

The new critical care rooms feature advanced technology with therapeutic and patient safety features.

The hospital also plans to open an outpatient facility and a freestanding emergency room this summer.

Hair of Istanbul Hair Transplant Clinic, Turkey: Photo Tour

2024-01-09T21:15:00.001+05:30

Hair of Istanbul Hair Transplant Clinic, Turkey

Hair of Istanbul is a hair transplant clinic located in the residential district of Ataköy in İstanbul, Turkey.

The 4,800-square-foot replacement facility involved the merging of two former residential apartment units to accommodate the clinic’s expanding program and patient profile as well as deliver an updated aesthetic for the clinic.

Nature-inspired design features

The clinic opened in August 2022. To create a healing place, the clinic design is wrapped around the idea of a “digital forest” and the idea of nature to create a connection to recovery. The project incorporates biophilic design, including the use of vibrant green tones, natural wood materials, and living green walls in both of the circulation areas and the operational zones.

To support the idea of a sterile, clean environment for services, the design features a minimalistic approach with easy-to-clean surfaces and the use of white color in different materials including metal and glass.

Technological elements, including sensor doors and video-walls are integrated into the project to support a modern look and operation of the facility.

Artwork in clinic design

Artwork is also an important part of the project. For example, the videowall at the entrance and the screen at the end of the corridor, which is positioned as an object of curiosity, will display digital artworks as well as soothing sounds to help relax the patients waiting for their appointments.

In addition, two sculptures in human form were specially made for this project and displayed in the corridor.

Hair of Istanbul Hair Transplant Clinic project details

Location: İstanbul, Turkey

Completion date: August 2022

Owner: Hair of Istanbul

Total Building Area: 4,843 sq. ft.

Total construction cost: Undisclosed

Cost/sq. ft.: Undisclosed

Interior designer: Slash Architects

General contractor: Aks Architecture