By Eli Schultz

The healthcare sector is changing – not only in the methods used to treat patients – but in the methods used to structure the healthcare sector as a whole. In the past, aside from a few small family practices, almost all medical treatment necessitated going to a large regional hospital and navigating through endless floors of medical offices and treatment rooms. 

The medical real estate sector is changing.

The focus of the healthcare industry is no longer on providing one large medical campus. It has turned creating smaller, patient-focused, medical office buildings or MOBs. Creating a mix of outpatient facilities and multi-specialty centers is improving the patient experience. Patients are flocking to these off-campus outpatient facilities. Rather than having to deal with a large and often confusing hospital campus, patients can come to a smaller medical center that groups similar services together in one easy-to-find package. Not only is this retail shift saving patient wait time, but it is reducing medical costs and streamlining treatment. [Read more…]

Plumbing involves the use of pipes, tanks, valves, plumbing fixtures and other devices to carry fluids.  Although waste removal, heating and cooling, and potable water delivery are related to plumbing, it comprises other applications as well.

Plumbing and heating are related to other sections of the construction industry, including the various supporting products, usually used for commercial intent. The current plumber is trained to work on both dry and wet pipes with heating systems included. Other workers in this field include pipefitters and boilers who work on piping, but their jobs include some aspects of plumbing.

History of Plumbing

During the Roman era, lead was the preferred material used for water pipes. Due to its pliability, it could be molded into the desired shape hence the word plumber.  This is where the word plumbing originated, a derivation from the Latin “Plumbum,” which means lead. In later years, there was a development in health concerns, which were related to the use of lead pipes.  The result was a high rate of stillbirths and infant mortality all attributed to the lead in these pipes, which found its way into the water supply.

However, in the early 20^th century, lead pipes were still being used in many homes.  The introduction of copper piping created a more improved and safer substitute to lead pipes. Furthermore, copper pipes were connected by tin alloy solder but in a modernized plumbing practice, tin-antimony alloy solder is used instead to get rid of lead hazards. In the industrialized world, plumbing substructure is vital to sanitation and public health and the growing awareness of lead poisoning has resulted in the use of other materials for pipes. [Read more…]

By Michael Smith, AIA

Along with their vulnerability and their fragility, children have another fundamental characteristic that makes it especially challenging for healthcare designers to create safe and appropriate spaces for them in hospitals and medical centers: Their curiosity.

Nothing comes more naturally to most kids than wanting to explore their surroundings in every way they can. Along with all the same considerations about safety and efficiency that drive creation of effective healthcare spaces, accommodating children’s curiosity is a critical driver in the design of pediatric healthcare delivery spaces that support quality care. At E4H Architecture, we’ve had many years’ of experience in several pediatric health systems across the country learning how best to use thoughtful design to create environments that alleviate stress, provide positive distractions, and promote healing.

Workflow, wayfinding, and service interactions

Designing spaces that accommodate parent(s), children, strollers, bags, and other necessary items per single patient visit is a daunting challenge regardless of the floor plan, budget, and operational flow. Achieving an ease of flow communicates the healthcare system’s thoughtfulness, consideration, and understanding of the patients’ needs. [Read more…]

Last month, Chicago-based Skender announced the creation of 100 new jobs in the City of Chicago, made possible with the opening of the new Skender advanced manufacturing facility, and the hiring of Peter Murray as President, Skender Manufacturing. The new advanced manufacturing operations will be located at 3348 S. Pulaski, on Chicago’s southwest side; approximately 100 new jobs will be created related to the production of modular buildings for multifamily, healthcare and commercial buildings. Production is scheduled to start as early as November 2018 for Skender Manufacturing’s first project, a six-story, 110-unit, 80,000-square-foot West Loop multifamily building.

“With the launch of Skender Manufacturing, our vertical integration is fusing design, manufacturing and construction into a single process,” says Mark Skender, Skender CEO. “Peter Murray’s experience in the advanced manufacturing industry will bring our vision to life. By designing, manufacturing and constructing modular buildings and building components, we can centralize and stabilize labor, standardize the assembly process and eliminate weather-related delays. This process will increase efficiency, shorten schedules, ensure consistent high quality and reduce costs—ultimately making new buildings affordable, even in our current environment of rising costs for labor and materials.” [Read more…]

By Jeff Grandfield and Dale Willerton

For many healthcare tenants, negotiating a good lease or lease renewal against an experienced agent or landlord can be a challenge. While a doctor focuses on proper patient care, savvy real estate agents and brokers are specialized sales people. Their job is to sell tenants on leasing their location at the highest possible rental rate.

As explained in our new book, Negotiating Commercial Leases & Renewals FOR DUMMIES, tenants may go through the leasing process only two or three times in their entire lifetime – yet they have to negotiate against seasoned professionals who negotiate leases every day for a living. Negotiating appropriate leasing terms is vital for a doctor as the amount of rent he pays will directly affect the practice’s financial bottom line.

Whether you are leasing a new location for the first time or negotiating a lease renewal for your practice, these are some money-saving tips for healthcare tenants: [Read more…]

By Jess Stonefield

On the surface, the United States appears to be one of the best places to grow old. After all, we have some of the best hospital facilities, a high standard of living, and tons of investors ready to help build a new wave of senior housing to keep our growing aging population safe. So why does America continue to rank behind other developing countries when it comes to the overall well-being of its aging?

It turns out quality senior housing itself is not enough to solve the problems facing today’s aging Americans—problems including both poverty and isolation, which lead to increased risk of death. Although many have a place to live, some 60 percent of nursing home residents do not receive visitors—a problem that leads to depression, as well as greater instances of abuse and neglect. The statistics show it is no longer adequate to know where we’ll “put” our aging population—it’s how we treat them going forward that matters most. [Read more…]