Space design quality and its importance to sustainable construction: the case of hospital buildings

The hospital project, more than any other, requires a number of concerns related with the satisfaction and well being of working teams, patient, administration and other officials. In this context it is possible to say that the healthcare spaces design are fundamental for the best work, functionality, results and to improve the best practices for a sustainable building. The volume and organization of these spaces are very important and can be decisive in environmental, economic and social development of the whole building. Therefore this study is focused in the space design quality and how its organization, flexibility and adaptability can be fundamental for the well being of people and for the best results in the sustainability of construction and will highlight how building sustainability assessment tools consider and evaluate these aspects. It is fundamental to propose the best way to promote the investment in the hospital design space to support the design team in the adoption if space solutions that contribute to the sustainability of these buildings.Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia (FCT) - Reference SFRH/BD/77959/2

Proposal for a Healthcare Building Sustainability Assessment (HBSA) method

The healthcare building project contains different aspects from the most common projects. Mostly due to various design requirements, these buildings are rarely designed and operated in a sustainable way. Therefore, the best practices of a sustainable healthcare building design that should be taken into account: in the design phase (to support the decision to adopt solutions that contribute to building sustainability); and in the operation phase (to support users and managers in the operation and in equipment maintenance at an high level of efficiency). In this context, the aim of this study is to present a proposal for a Healthcare Building Sustainability Assessment (HBSA) method adapted for the Portuguese context and considering the work developed so far in the standardization bodies (CEN and ISO). The most relevant building sustainability assessment tools in the context of healthcare buildings will be also analysed and compared

Método HBSAtool-PT: uma nova abordagem na avaliação da sustentabilidade de edifícios hospitalares

Os edifícios hospitalares, devido à sua utilização contínua e à diversidade de equipamentos de diagnóstico e tratamento, são grandes consumidores de recursos e produtores de resíduos. Estes edifícios envolvem diferentes utilizadores e ocupantes, para além de serem compostos por diversos espaços com diferentes requisitos. Estas são questões bem conhecidas, assim como o aumento da consciência acerca do conceito de desenvolvimento sustentável, o que torna necessário deixar para trás o paradigma pautado pela despreocupação do ser humano relativamente às questões ambientais para se começar efetivamente a trabalhar nos aspetos que permitem alcançar a sustentabilidade do planeta, a competitividade financeira e o bem-estar social. Assim, e com o intuito de estudar esta realidade e apresentar uma solução para a otimização do nível de sustentabilidade do ambiente construído, o presente artigo assenta na apresentação de um novo método de apoio ao projeto e avaliação do nível de sustentabilidade de edifícios de saúde. A fim de se potenciar a redução dos impactes ambientais dos edifícios de saúde, sem condicionar o seu desempenho, todos os dias são identificadas e estudadas diferentes soluções, que devem ser consideradas como complementares entre si. Neste sentido, e para auxílio dos projetistas, utilizadores e gestores hospitalares, a existência de ferramentas e métodos capazes de suportar as tomadas de decisão ao longo das diferentes fases do ciclo de vida dos edifícios é cada vez mais importante. Acrescentando a isto a importância da adaptação destas a diferentes realidades, o objetivo deste artigo é apresentar o método de Avaliação de Sustentabilidade de Edifícios Hospitalares adaptado ao contexto português, HBSAtool-PT.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Building sustainability assessment: the case of hospital buildings

The hospital project contains different aspects from the most common projects of residential, office or service buildings. Designing a hospital environment is based in a number of criteria related to the satisfaction and well being of the working team, the patient and the administrators. This kind of project has a strong social responsibility and impact on the city. Mostly due to various design requirements, these buildings are not designed and operated in a sustainable way. Based on this context it is important to study the best practices of a sustainable hospital design that should be taken into account in the design phase (to support the decision to adopt solutions that contribute to the building sustainability) and lifetime operation (supporting users and managers for the operation and equipment maintenance at an high level of efficiency). This paper will discuss the importance of the hospital buildings for the sustainable construction and will present some indicators that could support the sustainable design, operation and maintenance of a hospital building

The importance of the hospital buildings to the sustainability of the built environment

The project of a hospital environment requires a number of concerns related to the satisfaction and well being of the working team, the patient and the administrators. This kind of project has a strong social responsibility and impact on the city. Due to various design require-ments, it turns out that these buildings are not designed and operated in a sustainable way. This is because there is no effective method to support the design teams to consciously introduce such measures. Consequently they don t know which are the best practices to follow and build-ing managers are not aware of the measures that must be adopted for efficient building operation. Based on this context it is important to study the best practices of a sustainable hospital design that should be taken into account in the design phase (to support the decision to adopt solutions that contribute to the building sustainability) and lifetime operation (supporting users and managers for the operation and equipment maintenance at an high level of efficiency). This paper will discuss the importance of the hospital buildings for the sustainable construction and will present some indicators that should be maximized when designing, operating or maintaining a sustainable hospital

Estratégia para a incorporação de impactes ambientais, sociais e económicos específicos num método de Avaliação da Sustentabilidade de Edifícios de Saúde (HBSA)

The healthcare project design requires a several number of concerns with the satisfaction and well‐being of the working team, patient and administrators, has a strong social responsibility and impact on the city. Due to various design requirements, these buildings are not designed and used in a sustainable way, because there are still no effective methods to support designers in this context. Consequently, they do not know what the best criteria to be followed and their managers are not aware of the measuresthatshould be adopted for efficient use. Furthermore, the aim of this study is to present a proposal for a Healthcare Building Sustainability Assessment (HBSA) method adapted for the Portuguese context and considering the work developed so far in the standardization bodies (CEN and ISO). For this, the chosen methodology is analysed and compared the most relevant building sustainability assessment tools in the context of healthcare buildings.  O projeto de um ambiente hospitalar requer uma série de preocupações com a satisfação e bem‐estar da equipa de trabalho, paciente e administradores, possui uma forte responsabilidade social e impacto na cidade. Devido às diversas exigências de projeto verifica‐ se que estes edifícios não são concebidos e utilizados de forma sustentável, isto porque ainda não existe um método eficaz de apoio aos projetistas que lhes permita introduzir conscientemente medidas nesse sentido. Consequentemente, estes não sabem quais os melhores parâmetros a seguir e os seus gestores não estão a par das medidas que devem adoptar para uma utilização eficiente. Neste contexto, o objetivo deste estudo é apresentar uma proposta de metodologia de avaliação da sustentabilidade de edifícios de saúde portugueses, considerando o trabalhado desenvolvido até então pelas normas ISO e CEN. Assim, a metodologia escolhida para alcançar os resultados apresentados compreende a análise e comparação entre as reconhecidas metodologias de avaliação existentes

A strategy for the incorporation of specific environmental, social and economic impacts into a healthcare buildings sustainability assessment (HBSA Method)

The design of a hospital environment involves many concerns related to the satisfaction and well-being of the medical personnel, patients, and administrators, and at the same time requires strong social responsibility and has a high impact on a city. Currently, it seems that the majority of this type of building is not designed or used in a sustainable way, although some tools have already been developed to support decision-making to optimize building sustainability. Based on this context, the aim of this article is to discuss the barriers to the dissemination of sustainable practices in healthcare buildings, and to propose the structure of a methodology that facilitates the incorporation of sustainability principles during the different life-cycle stages of a hospital building while overcoming some of the identified barriers. The structure presented is oriented to the Portuguese context and is based on the work done to date by the ISO and CEN organizations and other international sustainability assessment schemes already available on the market.O projeto de um ambiente hospitalar requer uma série de preocupações com a satisfação e bemestar da equipa de trabalho, pacientes e administradores, ao mesmo tempo que possui uma forte responsabilidade social e impacte na cidade. Atualmente, verifica-se que a maioria deste tipo de edifícios não é concebida ou utilizada de forma sustentável, apesar de já existirem algumas ferramentas que têm vindo a ser desenvolvidas com o objetivo de serem utilizadas no suporte de decisões que permitam otimizar a sustentabilidade dos mesmos. Tendo por base este contexto, o presente artigo tem como objetivos discutir as barreiras existentes na disseminação de práticas sustentáveis nos edifícios de saúde e apresentar uma proposta de estrutura para uma metodologia que, dando resposta a algumas das barreiras identificadas, facilite a incorporação de princípios de sustentabilidade durante as diferentes fases do ciclo de vida de um edifício hospitalar. A estrutura apresentada é orientada para o contexto português e encontra-se baseada no trabalho desenvolvido até então pelas organizações ISO e CEN e noutras metodologias internacionais de avaliação da sustentabilidade já disponíveis no mercado.Fundação para a Ciência e Tecnologia e o programa POPH/ FSE com a referência SFRH/BD/77959/2011

Improving sustainability in healthcare with better space design quality

Publicado em "Green design, materials and manufacturing processes", ISBN 978-1-1380-0046-9The hospital project contains different aspects from the most common projects of residential, offices or services buildings. In common buildings, sometimes the user and the client are the same and when they are not, setting the requirements is not difficult since they are common to most inhabitants. In the case of hospital buildings this is not the reality and the project team is usually hired for the purpose of designing a building that includes different spaces and different users, such as doctors, nurses, patients, visitors, cleaning staff, administrators, and others. In this sense it is important to combine different spatial needs, which are always subject to constant changes throughout the period of building operation due to: new features; innovations; enlargement needs; and new healthcare treatment methods. This paper discusses the importance of the design and organization of space quality in the overall sustainability of a hospital building and how this aspect is evaluated in BSA tools.Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia (FCT) - Reference SFRH/BD/77959/201

Indoor and outdoor spaces design quality and its contribution to sustainable hospital buildings

The hospital project contains different aspects from the most common projects of residential, offices or services buildings. In common buildings, sometimes the user and the client are the same and when they are not, setting the requirements is not difficult since they are common to most inhabitants. In the case of hospital buildings this is not the reality and the project team is usually hired for the purpose of designing a building that includes different spaces and different users, such as doctors, nurses, patients, visitors, cleaning staff, etc. In this sense it is important to combine different spatial needs, which are always subject to constant changes throughout its period of use due to new features, innovations, needs expansion and new treatment methods. This paper aims to study the importance of the space design in the sustainable construction of hospital buildings

Método para apoio ao projeto de edifícios hospitalares mais sustentáveis

O projeto de um ambiente hospitalar requer uma grande preocupação com a satisfação das necessidades dos seus utilizadores ao mesmo tempo que possui uma forte responsabilidade social e impacto na cidade. Atualmente, verifica-se que a maioria destes edifícios não é concebida ou utilizada de forma sustentável, apesar de já existirem iniciativas com o objetivo de otimizar a sustentabilidade dos mesmos.   Para que o desempenho destes edifícios seja elevado, práticas de sustentabilidade devem ser consideradas, principalmente nas duas principais fases do ciclo de vida: fase de projeto (promovendo a adoção de soluções que resultem na melhoria da sustentabilidade da construção); e fase de utilização (suportando as decisões dos gestores e utilizadores do edifício na adequada manutenção dos equipamentos e operação do edifício). Assim, é necessário discutir as barreiras existentes na disseminação destas práticas nos edifícios de saúde e propor um método que facilite a incorporação de princípios de sustentabilidade durante diferentes fases do ciclo de vida do edifício.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio