Managing the environmental quality of a healthcare facility has become a technological challenge. Air quality, waste management and disposal, infection control and more-all of this occurs in an environment that is highly controlled and well thought-out. And for good reason-the health and lives of vulnerable people are very much at stake. What are some current developments architects and engineers should be aware of? What is the optimal design for a healthcare facility that is truly protective of its inhabitants? What contributions might newly emerging technologies such as smart building systems, automated waste management, and building information modeling make? Are there concepts concerning sustainable operation that might be challenged? Answers to these questions and more were sought from different levels of expertise by Healthcare Building Ideas Contributing Editors Richard L. Peck and Shannon Powers-Jones.
Architects
(Waste Management, Air Quality)
Angela E. Watson AIA, LEED AP, and David Meeks Shepley Bulfinch, Boston, Massachusetts
What are some of the new waste management techniques or developments healthcare designers should be aware of?
Meeks: Hospitals deal with what is called “red bagging” of hazardous waste and storing it in containment rooms for eventual removal. A new technology involves sterilizing hazardous waste with a rotoclave and directing the nonhazardous results to a shredder for standard trash disposal. The equipment uses conveyor belts, queuing space, and is modestly sized, eliminating the need for biohazard storage in a containment room. Another technology is a surgical fluid disposal unit, called the Neptune, using collection containers that, when full, are simply docked in a wall space, vacuumed out, and cleaned, with the dilute fluids draining in the sanitary system. Finally, for recyclables, since just about everyone is commingling solid waste these days because few want to be involved in separation, some facilities are using laundry chutes with diverters at the end to separate out the waste-but a new technology just introduced automates the process, mechanically presorting waste in the containment bin and diverting it to the proper storage sites.
Watson: There is also a trend in the opposite direction, on the food service side, reducing technology by eliminating fried foods and, thus, the need for grease recycling equipment that uses large amounts of energy.
What are current design considerations on the air quality side of things?
