Trending Design Ideas For Medical Construction in 2024

Updated On 27 January 2024.

If you are planning to build a new medical hospital or center, or looking into redesigning an existing medical space, consider utilizing the following new and innovative trends in medical construction and design to make your patients feel more comfortable and help improve the feel and functionality of the space.

1. More Open Space

Increasing the amount of open space is one way medical construction contractors update the look and feel of healthcare centers. It helps the area feel less claustrophobic, which can put patients at ease, and it also allows for larger windows that can increase the amount of natural light in the medical facility, which can often boost patients’ moods.

2. Family-Oriented Technology

Some hospitals and other in-patient facilities add technology in their medical construction and design, such as computers with webcams and inpatient rooms, to allow patients greater access to their families during their hospital stays. Incorporating technology in healthcare construction allows patients to comfortably and easily talk to their loved ones comfortably if their family members cannot stay with them. It can also be beneficial to add beds or sleeper sofas in hospital rooms so that families can be comfortable while staying overnight.

3. Energy and Resource Efficiency

More and more medical hospitals and centers are “going green” by employing environmentally friendly technology, such as alternative power sources, and obtaining Leadership in Energy & Environmental Design (“LEED”) certification for their buildings.

For example, reduce potable water use by at least 30% in your medical office or hospital, instead utilize non-potable water resources for site irrigation. Medical construction contractors should leverage passive design for less energy consumption, implement renewable sources, and use local sustainable building materials for medical building construction. 

Incorporating energy efficiency features in medical construction and design not only improves the environmental footprint of these medical facilities but also can reduce overall energy costs as well and be a solid cost-saving investment.

4. Multi-Purpose Examination and Procedure Rooms

Especially for smaller medical facilities, it can be advantageous to plan rooms in medical construction and design that can be used for several different purposes. For example, adapting patient rooms into consultation spaces, energy department rooms into substitute trauma units, and so on. A universal space can be allotted for patient education sessions, physical therapy sessions, and mass contamination zones. This helps save space within medical facilities and also promotes the efficient use of examination rooms.

5. Tech-Integrated Healthcare Environments

Medical facilities today are integrating healthcare technology into their physical infrastructures to create omnichannel patient experience (PX) systems and provide tech-enabled clinical care, and digital tools. In the era of telehealth calls, medical construction contractors also have to take care of the acoustics, lighting, and backdrop designs of healthcare spaces. They must ensure that all internet connections are strongly accessible within the entire medical facility. The stakeholders of healthcare organizations should closely partner with medical construction companies to efficiently achieve their unique requirements under budgetary restrictions.

6. An Inviting Lobby or Entrance

It is important to make incoming patients feel comfortable and welcome in your medical hospital or facility. Their first impression of any space is often the lobby or entrance area. Designers increasingly include bright colors, modern and comfortable furniture, and an open and inviting front desk in medical construction and design to help put patients at ease when entering the hospital.

7. Decentralized Staff Work Areas

Although it is important to maintain a space for staff members to meet and communicate, it is equally important to keep medical staff as close to their particular patients as possible. Hospitals and medical facilities should consider spreading out the staff members’ work areas to accommodate both a centralized communication area and specific work areas. Keeping this approach in medical construction and design also helps reduce some of the staff work areas’ chaos, making the medical facility a calmer place.

Non-medical amenities under one roof. To make patients and their families feel more comfortable in the space, consider adding other shops and services, such as coffee shops, grocery stores, or even small libraries or reading areas, to your medical building construction. This will help remove some of the sterility and coldness that hospitals and medical centers often exude and make it a more inviting space.

8. Adaptive Design and Construction

Flexibility in medical construction and design isn’t an option especially post-pandemic and at the rate with which technology is advancing. Prefabrication, modular construction, and other predictive real estate solutions offer medical construction contractors creative opportunities to build multi-use healthcare facilities that accommodate present and future needs. 

Architectural changes like upgrading HVAC, UVC lighting, and integrating screens to infectious patient areas will prepare the medical facility for the next pandemic. Moreover, adaptability and flexibility in medical construction and design maximize real estate within a limited footprint. 

Final Thoughts

With advancing technology and the demand for efficiency, new trends are becoming popular in medical construction and design to accommodate patients’ changing needs. Medical construction companies are focusing on keeping a balance between sustainability, space efficiency, comfort, and aesthetics while designing and building healthcare facilities. Thus, owners must adopt these innovations to deliver the best patient experience.

Work with Us

If you are planning a medical construction project, trust Constructive Solutions, Inc. for quality services and workmanship. Our dedicated team specializes in designing and building all types of medical offices, hospitals, and other healthcare facilities. We have successfully managed commercial construction projects in San Francisco, San Jose, and San Mateo regions. 

Contact us today to discuss your medical construction project. 

FAQs

What is the cost of hospital construction in the US?

According to Gordian’s RSMeans Online Building Models, the national average cost per square foot for commercial new construction of hospitals is $419.18.

How to select a commercial contractor for a hospital construction project?

Primarily, the medical construction contractor must be licensed, insured, and experienced in hospital building projects. If the contractor is a certified healthcare constructor (CHC), it means they understand the finer aspects of healthcare facility construction and risk management.

What are the different types of medical construction?

Different types of medical construction projects include primary and specialty clinics, emergency care centers, laboratories, dental offices, pharmacies, nursing homes, or any hospital. 

Relevant Resources:

• Everything You Need To Know About Medical Office Construction
• How to Convert an Office Building into a Life Sciences Lab