Healthcare Design - May 2016 - 41

Q+A with Larry Arndt

General manager of healthcare,
Mortenson Construction
Chicago
What's the most significant trend you've
seen when it comes to providers' goals for
wellness and the role buildings play in achieving it?
Both renovations and new construction are taking place to better support
new population health services, care delivery processes, technology, and
other provider priorities. It begins with each provider's strategies of what
services they want to offer, in what settings, and how they want to reach out to
patients, followed by architects developing building designs to implement those
strategies, including improved sustainability and energy-efficiency efforts.
Construction then executes on those designs and plans. There's an important
difference between going to a hospital's cancer center for treatment and going

door will be a welcoming
experience for patients and
visitors.-Lindsey Wilke and
Shannon Kraus, HKS Inc.

to a wellness center for cancer treatment. And it's much more than marketing.
A wellness center might use sustainable building materials and finishes, and the
design may be more spa-like than clinical.

What advancements have been made in green construction materials that support wellness efforts from the get-go?
The move to adopt sustainable building practices and materials has been
underway for some time, with LEED and the Green Guide for Healthcare, but
its use is becoming more prevalent. New building codes requiring sustainable
practices are spurring some of the changes. Many providers, though, are more
educated about the issues and are eager to reduce energy use and reduce their
impact on the environment, so more are choosing sustainable materials as part
of the design process. Because of rising demand, more manufacturers are rolling
out environmentally friendly options. You can find flooring and paint without PVC
and other harmful chemicals, for example. Also, materials behind the walls are
going greener, too, with alternatives to traditional solder used for copper piping,
sheathing placed on wiring, and treatments used on steel and for fireproofing.

Above: The
front door of
MetroHealth's
transformed
pedestrian-friendly
campus. Below: An
aerial view of the
future MetroHealth
campus along
Cleveland's West
25th St. corridor.

What solutions are available today to maintain wellness during
construction at an operational site?

RENDERINGS COURTESY OF HKS INC.

Recognizing that the project stands to spur
economic opportunity in the area, MetroHealth
began the planning process by hosting a
community engagement meeting to gather
feedback on how the campus could better
support the goals and vision of the surrounding
neighborhood. Ideas from residents included
employee housing, safe parks and sidewalks,
and better access to transportation.
As the project evolves, key to the plan is how
open space on the campus connects to the
community. Through park-like areas (currently
lacking in the adjacent neighborhood) and new
roads and sidewalks, the future campus will be
more pedestrian-friendly.
The wellness of a community goes beyond the
health of a community, taking into consideration
the physical, social, and mental potential of
individuals; as the National Wellness Institute
states, it's a "conscious, self-directed, and
evolving process of achieving full potential."
While the core of the MetroHealth project is
building a new hospital, the ripple effects of
economic development in the neighborhood
will influence the well-being of individuals. New
businesses in the neighborhood will support
new job opportunities, which
could expand transit options.
Working with the local
transit authority, the project
team will consider how a
new transit hub at the front

Infection control is a major focus of any construction project for providers. Dust
and debris from excavation, demolition, renovation, and new construction can
be a major source of molds and fungi spores, especially Aspergillus. We take
many steps to control the infection risk both during and after construction. They
include not turning on new ventilation, heating, and cooling systems until the
construction is essentially completed; wiping down all surfaces of the building
including inside wall cavities and other areas hidden in construction; and not
putting up drywall until the stud cavities are cleaned to prevent trapping dust
and debris in the building.

How do you see this wellness focus continuing to influence built
environment solutions going forward?
We are seeing a virtuous cycle. As wellness and population health management
become more important to providers, the market is responding with building
systems, tools, technologies, and products to support these efforts. Architects
and builders are also bringing sustainable designs, ideas, and practices to make
these physical spaces support health and wellness.
HCDmagazine.com 05.16

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Healthcare Design - May 2016

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