Healthcare Design - May 2022 - 19

" THERE'S SOMETHING TO BE SAID FOR HAVING A PLACE
WHERE YOU CAN ASK THOSE AWKWARD QUESTIONS, THERE'S
NO STIGMA, AND IT FEELS UNIQUE TO WOMEN. "
-MARISSA FEDDEMA, ALA
That architectural detail, as well as a variety of personal touches such as
a lounge-like waiting area to help put patients at ease before appointments
and custom-designed robes and socks to make them more comfortable
during, were part of an approach the team hoped would encourage women
to want to come back. " It was important to Tia that we create a space that
patients are drawn to so that they're more encouraged to stay on top of
their health, " says Alda Ly, founder and principal of Alda Ly Architecture
(ALA; New York), which worked with Tia on continuing its rollout. The two
teamed up on the 3,000-square-foot location in Los Angeles' Silver Lake
neighborhood opened in April 2021 as well as a location in Phoenix.
The approach is emblematic of a broader change taking place within
women's healthcare. " We like to say, 'we're not small men,' yet a lot of
healthcare practices have been designed or treated us like such, " Ball says.
" At Tia, we try to do the opposite and think about what a woman would
want to feel comfortable in their experience. "
Similarly, a variety of other healthcare startups and boutique clinics have
popped up on the healthcare landscape to cater specifically to younger
women's health and wellness, says Sheila Cahnman, president at JumpGarden
Consulting LLC (Chicago). Such examples include Kindbody, which offers
fertility, gynecology, and wellness services via more than 10 clinic locations
and online services, and Parsley Health, a membership-based holistic
healthcare company with services ranging from digestive issues and hormonal
health to fertility and mental health. Cahnman, who recently conducted
research on women's health for a client, also found there are more
comprehensive centers being delivered that offer services tailored to the
spectrum of women's health for all ages. " I think healthcare organizations
realize now that women's needs are different and that if they market it that
way, it can serve the community's needs while also being lucrative, " she says.
ONE-STOP CONVENIENCE
Such comprehensive centers serve as a central hub for female patients to
have access to a full range of healthcare professionals and services rather
than within a more general healthcare setting. Housing components such
as diagnostic imaging, medical spa, and education spaces such as demonstration
kitchens, Cahnman says these one-stop-shop solutions provide
convenience to women as well as help increase access to care in proximity
to where patients live. " The whole idea is that women could come to these
centers and get everything they need health-wise, and they're not running
around to separate care locations, " she says.
One recent example is the new 14-story University Health Women's and
Children's Hospital in San Antonio, which will be the only hospital in South
Texas exclusively focused on the unique needs of women when it opens in
2023. Designed by ZGF Architects in association with Marmon Mok, the
698,000-square-foot facility includes expanded
gynecological oncology care, a women's urgent
care center, labor and delivery suite with 20 private
rooms and its own waiting area, postpartum
rooms, and a fully staffed " Mother's Place " on
the first floor with five lactation rooms.
Mitra Memari, a partner at ZGF Architects
(Los Angeles), says the layout of the building,
specifically, considers its core patient population
and its needs. For example, Memari says
labor and delivery rooms are on the third floor
for ease of access, with dedicated elevators that
take patients directly to that floor. Additionally,
the community's desire for a variety of birthing
services led to the decision to design four of the
birthing rooms with bathtubs to support water
births while the hospital also will allow midwives
to deliver children at the facility when it
opens. " There are some cultures where midwives
are the only way to go, and respecting that
was the right approach and shows we really did
care about that in this space, " she says.
LAYERING IN DETAILS
Project teams are also showing special attention
to women through interior design details
and architectural features such as muted colors
and a high level of detail in patterns and textures,
which women tend to gravitate toward, says
Tami Greene, principal at IKM Architecture
(Pittsburgh). " It's one more layer on top of the
care they receive and the staff that they interact
with and wraps those patients with an experience
that's customized to them, " she says.
For a project at St. Clair Breast Center in Bethel
Park, Penn., Greene says she incorporated
textured mosaic tiles and a wallcovering with a
subtle reflective pattern next to a variety of light
sources, including recessed pendant fixtures and
wall sconces, to create a play of light. " It's those
subtle details that add a little bit to the space and
bring that feminine feel, " she says.
Tia's aim to make women feel special is rooted
MAY 2022
19
Healthcare Design - May 2022

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