Editor's note: This article was published as part of our March 2013 report on hospital lobby design stategies.
If you do hotels, schools, student unions, office buildings, performing arts centers, transportation facilities, or any structure with a lobby, here are six principles from healthcare lobby design that make for happier users—and more satisfied owners.
1. Select durable furnishings. Fancy chairs can be appealing, but not if they quickly turn shabby with use. TK&A’s Kate Wendt suggests high-wearing polyester and vinyl materials. “The seat takes the most abuse,” says Wendt. “You can usually do something different on the back, but it all has to be cleanable.”
2. Manage traffic. Hospital access and egress are often complex, due to a higher-than-usual percentage of disabled visitors. Healthcare Building Teams typically make extensive provisions for wheelchair access and storage, and for vehicular drop-off and drive-up. Beyond minimal ADA compliance, how welcoming is your facility to people with disabilities?
3. Emphasize wayfinding. Many hospitals have a public mission to serve a diverse population. For them, multilingual signage is just the start of a good wayfinding strategy. Dedicated volunteer greeters often make life easier for visitors in healthcare environments. How hard is it for non-English-speaking visitors to navigate in public facilities you’re creating?
4. Control germs. Hospital clients may reject water features, live plants, and other design elements that could pose a sanitation risk, but such elements may be an asset to your client’s project. What can you do to help end users and visitors avoid spreading germs and keep maintenance to a minimum?
5. Keep floors dry. Because patients may be unsteady on their feet, hospitals pay strict attention to the location and length of walk-off mats. Puddles are hazardous, regardless of user groups. Do your projects make room for mats that are long and wide enough to sop up water and slush?
6. Match scale, budget, and need. TK&A’s Chu Foxlin says that many healthcare clients are questioning if it is necessary to have multiple-floor atrium spaces and large, open, idle program space, just to convey a sense of grandeur. “They are pushing us to give them an efficient lobby that is the right size for the traffic, with spaces that are flexible and multifunctional,” she says. What do your non-healthcare clients think about this?
Related Stories
Intelligent Lighting | Feb 13, 2023
Exploring intelligent lighting usage in healthcare, commercial facilities
SSR's Todd Herrmann, PE, LEEP AP, explains intelligent lighting's potential use cases in healthcare facilities and more.
Giants 400 | Feb 9, 2023
New Giants 400 download: Get the complete at-a-glance 2022 Giants 400 rankings in Excel
See how your architecture, engineering, or construction firm stacks up against the nation's AEC Giants. For more than 45 years, the editors of Building Design+Construction have surveyed the largest AEC firms in the U.S./Canada to create the annual Giants 400 report. This year, a record 519 firms participated in the Giants 400 report. The final report includes 137 rankings across 25 building sectors and specialty categories.
Giants 400 | Feb 6, 2023
2022 Reconstruction Sector Giants: Top architecture, engineering, and construction firms in the U.S. building reconstruction and renovation sector
Gensler, Stantec, IPS, Alfa Tech, STO Building Group, and Turner Construction top BD+C's rankings of the nation's largest reconstruction sector architecture, engineering, and construction firms, as reported in the 2022 Giants 400 Report.
Cladding and Facade Systems | Dec 20, 2022
Acoustic design considerations at the building envelope
Acentech's Ben Markham identifies the primary concerns with acoustic performance at the building envelope and offers proven solutions for mitigating acoustic issues.
Digital Twin | Nov 21, 2022
An inside look at the airport industry's plan to develop a digital twin guidebook
Zoë Fisher, AIA explores how design strategies are changing the way we deliver and design projects in the post-pandemic world.
Giants 400 | Nov 14, 2022
Top 65 Airport Terminal Engineering + EA Firms for 2022
AECOM, Jacobs, Arup, and Burns & McDonnell head the ranking of the nation's largest airport terminal engineering and engineering/architecture (EA) firms for 2022, as reported in Building Design+Construction's 2022 Giants 400 Report.
Giants 400 | Nov 14, 2022
Top 60 Airport Terminal Contractors + CM Firms for 2022
Hensel Phelps, Turner Construction, Walsh Group, and Holder Construction top the ranking of the nation's largest airport terminal contractors and construction management (CM) firms for 2022, as reported in Building Design+Construction's 2022 Giants 400 Report.
Giants 400 | Nov 14, 2022
Top 55 Airport Terminal Architecture + AE Firms for 2022
Gensler, PGAL, Corgan, and HOK top the ranking of the nation's largest airport terminal architecture and architecture/engineering (AE) firms for 2022, as reported in Building Design+Construction's 2022 Giants 400 Report.
BAS and Security | Oct 19, 2022
The biggest cybersecurity threats in commercial real estate, and how to mitigate them
Coleman Wolf, Senior Security Systems Consultant with global engineering firm ESD, outlines the top-three cybersecurity threats to commercial and institutional building owners and property managers, and offers advice on how to deter and defend against hackers.
Mass Timber | Aug 30, 2022
Mass timber construction in 2022: From fringe to mainstream
Two Timberlab executives discuss the market for mass timber construction and their company's marketing and manufacturing strategies. Sam Dicke, Business Development Manager, and Erica Spiritos, Director of Preconstruction, Timberlab, speak with BD+C's John Caulfield.
