Source: Kaiser Permanente
Searching for the brightest ideas so hospitals can have a near-zero impact on the environment, Kaiser Permanente will hold an open hospital design competition inviting students, architects, engineers, designers, and teams of multidisciplinary thinkers from around the world to conceptualize new ways to be energy efficient, sustainable and green living buildings for health care. The competition wanted to foster the innovative use of technology and facility design so that hospitals can be more green in energy costs (saving cash while improving the bottom line) so that they can improve the access to care and remain efficient and affordable while improving the quality of services.
The, “Small Hospital, Big Idea” competition seeked design concepts for a small, eco-conscious, patient- and family-friendly hospital that uses the best in emerging medical technology to coordinate and deliver care to Kaiser Permanente members.
The small hospital is a departure for Kaiser Permanente, whose unique integrated model of care typically demands a large medical campus with a hospital and supporting outpatient medical office buildings. As the organization’s membership grows and demographics change, the small hospital design will serve as a model allowing more access to convenient, safe, and quality health care.
“We are not just looking for dynamic building designs,” said Benjamin Chu, MD, president of Kaiser Permanente Southern California “We want a partner with fresh ideas on how technology and medicine can reshape our current medical delivery infrastructure to provide even more exceptional, effective, and convenient care to our members.”
Kaiser Permanente’s model is built with both people and the environment in mind with an emphasis on total health and patient empowerment. The winning small hospital design will provide a patient-centered healing environment that has near-zero impact on the environment while providing access to the latest technology to improve quality and reduce costs.
More at http://design.kpnfs.com/. For more information about the competition, visit the Small Hospital, Big Idea website at http://design.kpnfs.com/
SO GET TO IT PEOPLE!!!
