Time has witnessed a resilient relationship between architecture and social developments. The digital revolution, with its information and communication technology has added a new dimension to this interrelationship. It has altered life and environment giving a new character to all related elements. Digital systems have impacted both the hospital environment and healthcare management traditions.

What is an Intelligent Hospital Architecture?

Intelligent Hospital Architecture needs to facilitate a highway for voluminous information and knowledge traffic. Healthcare architects now also need to interact with digital engineers who will ensure compatibility of design and materials used in construction. This design technique would also address aesthetic form of structures their utility and impact on healthcare provisions.

Also Read: What is Intelligent Architecture For a Hospital?

What is Intelligent Hospital Buildings?

Intelligent Hospital Buildings would greatly contribute to both viable structures that are environment compliant and that offer rational optimization and management of buildings through the employment of intelligent technology. Use of Building Management Systems (BMS) to control room lighting, air-conditioning, etc. has positive bearings on the financial costs.

What is Sustainable Hospital Architecture?

Sustainable Architecture need to be coupled with intelligent hospital architecture also encompasses sustainable architecture and design. Many architects believe that architecture is greatly dependent on study of human behavior with regard to their environment, societal, and cultural interactions. Thus good healthcare architecture should be based on the art and science of planning and designing hospitals keeping in view patients and people and their healing criteria and processes thus enhancing caregiving.

Healthcare facility design is far more complex than designing most other infrastructures since healthcare facilities address a myriad of purposes from clinical functions to administrative and support services. Healthcare architects are expected to consider multiple characteristics of human life as these facilities house patients, who more often than not live there for relatively short periods and whose life’s journey begins there and many times end there. Even with galloping technology in the healthcare space, many planners may not see the link between healthcare architecture and sustainable design concepts. Yet it is imperative that sustainable design be practiced to make available a healing atmosphere and for patient benefit. In addition, this will add to cost containment.

Thus sustainable architecture goes beyond the ecosystem of the building or energy proficiency, keeping patients and people at its epicenter so as to augment their overall experience. Somehow sustainability has gained acceptability in other industries however, healthcare is now seen coming out of its inertia with regard to this design approach.

Intelligent Architecture and Sustainable Planning

Both intelligent architecture and sustainable planning and design also positively impact economic development and other economic factors through optimal and efficient use of natural resources such as light, water, and energy. Healthcare architects should maximize the use of natural light and air in the hospital building; plan use of water optimally by recycling wastewater for use in toilets, plan rainwater harvesting and finally promote renewable energy.

Conclusion

All this can be achieved through change management in the employment of resources, meaningfully guiding investments, engaging technology beneficially, so as to address and future needs. All this requires the collaboration of experts comprising hospital consultants, healthcare architects, digital engineers, healthcare providers, and managers to name a few. Intelligent hospital buildings are a necessity today as they saving of economic, social, environmental, and cultural capital, a necessity for sustainable development.

Dhanraj Chandriani
Managing Director
Technecon Healthcare Pvt. Ltd.