By Jeff Wardon, Jr., Assistant Editor

The overall design of healthcare facilities plays a major role in supporting the physical and emotional recovery of patients while also enhancing the efficiency of care delivery. Over time, architectural trends have evolved to embrace not only technological advances but also a developing understanding of what healing means. From flexible spaces that can adapt to diverse needs to spaces that prioritize patient-centered care, healthcare architecture continues to shape the standards of well-being. 

Healthcare Facilities Today recently spoke with Colby Cavanaugh, healthcare and sciences studio leader at Maugel DeStefano Architects, to explore how the industry's past informs its present, the innovative concepts shaping modern healing and creating ideal spaces that balance adaptability and patient comfort. 

HFT: What significant changes have you observed in the design of hospitals, small practices, and healthcare facilities overall over the past 15 years? 

Colby Cavanaugh: What I’ve noticed over the course of us designing small offices and working with hospitals as well is they’ve always been very forward thinking about the patient experience, such as how a patient travels through the space or how wayfinding works. 

However, it’s trended more towards giving more space to exam rooms and less space towards private offices. I’ve seen more collaborative spaces where they’re in larger rooms, enabling them to chat with each other vs. Individual offices because of the way that they interact with patients. Instead of a more traditional way of having someone come into an exam room, be examined and then go step into the doctor’s office and have a conversation, everything is now happening within that exam room. 

So, the allocation of space goes more toward the patient experience and patient spaces. This includes larger exam rooms or treatment spaces and smaller back of house offices or more communal group office spaces. 

HFT: How is the concept of healing in healthcare facilities evolving, and what does it mean for design approaches? 

Cavanaugh: Traditionally, someone would come in with whatever ailment they have, and doctors would just be looking at that individual ailment. Healing as a whole has developed because of more communication and technological advancements. It’s not just as simple as the surface value of having a cold because everyone gets one - there’s something deeper than that. 

The trend I’m seeing - at least in the healthcare practices - is looking at the whole person and being able to create a facility where you have your primary care, imaging and lab results all in one place. It’s also so somebody can come in and be referred to different specialists and not have to go into a hospital environment to get all those services. It’s more bringing those to their community. 

Certainly, when we’re looking at new or even when we’re looking at renovating facilities, the concept of creating an inviting environment. That can be done through natural lighting, plants, softer colors or a more soothing color palette. Healthcare is certainly leaning more into the hospitality area. 

Related: What's the Future of Healthcare Facility Architecture?

As I mentioned before about the patient’s experience, when you’re walking into a hospital, you sometimes have a lot of anxiety. Being able to create a warm, welcoming environment or calm, soothing environment is absolutely something that we’re integrating into all our designs. 

Natural light is going to be one of the key factors – as much as we can get that into these spaces and any connection that you can get to the outside world. They even make wonderful wall panels with screens for when you’re in an interior room that mimic nature, that connection to nature is essential in healing. 

HFT: What types of “dream” healthcare facilities are your clients asking you to design today? 

Cavanaugh: My clients would love to see state-of-the-art everything. Technology is pushing fast and furiously, so much of the way they work and the way they see patients in different environments has been shaped by technological advancements. Technology is really pushing a lot of their dreams, and now we’re trying to figure out how to integrate those into more traditional settings. It really takes being able to ensure that we find space and we’re still efficient with the footprint and what makes sense for their financial goals as well – it's a balance between the two. 

HFT: Can you explain the concept of flexible healthcare facilities and why they are gaining importance? 

Cavanaugh: As I mentioned before, so much is happening in exam and procedure rooms especially after coming out of the pandemic, such as turning offices into a sick side and a well side. Or even being able to turn a room into a negative air room so that you’re not spreading anything.  

Flexible spaces like that are becoming more important as we get into new healthcare facilities and retrofit some older ones. Ultimately, it’s giving them flexibility on how they can use their space and expand it to provide the services they need for patients. 

Jeff Wardon, Jr., is the assistant editor for the facilities market.