What's inside...
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Photo courtesy of Swedish Medical Center
ON THE COVER: The Swedish Medical Center opened a $30 million neurosurgical complex at its Cherry Hill Campus in February. Callison of Seattle was the architect and Lease Crutcher Lewis was the general contractor.
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This special publication on the design and construction of health care projects takes a cue from Wal-Mart, from which designers adopt the idea of inventory-tracking technology to help cut down on medical errors.
Hospitals are finding others way of incorporating new technology, like wireless communications systems, to meet today's changing health care needs.
The Puget Sound is a growing area, and more people will require more doctors... and more space. Doctors and medical facilities are turning to technology to help meet ever increasing needs.
But, as hospitals expand and remodel, construction activity can exacerbate the dangers of hospital-acquired infections.
Rising energy costs are also a worry for hospitals, which use between two and three times more energy than a typical office building.
Some facilities are turning to green design to help cut down on energy costs and waste.
Along with energy savings and new technologies, health care designers also have to take into account changes in state guidelines.
Finally, we look at how seismic considerations are affecting building design, and how performance-based design can enhance the seismic performance of a building while reducing construction costs.
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