Understanding the Hospital Design Process

Hospital-Designs.com has supported healthcare professionals, new entrants, and students for many years. Since hospital and healthcare design is a highly specialised field, it follows a defined series of development stages. In this article, I will walk you through the process and, moreover, introduce you to the design team members who deliver healthcare projects.

The Importance of the Client Brief

The process begins by translating someone’s vision into a document known as the Client Brief. This initial step is crucial because it sets the foundation for the entire project. A detailed article on creating a Healthcare Client Brief will follow soon, so stay tuned.

Why the Client Brief Matters

The Client Brief forms the basis of hospital design. Although it is called a “brief”, it must be detailed enough for the design team to prepare the Contractor’s Proposal. As a result, it addresses both high-level concerns such as health, safety, sustainability, flexibility, and hygiene, and also provides specific details on departments, functions, rooms, equipment, and furniture.

The Core Hospital Design Team

Key Team Members
The core Design Team typically includes:

• Architects and Healthcare Planners
• Mechanical, Electrical, and Public Health (MEP) Engineers
• Civil & Structural Engineers
• Programmers and Planners

Specialist Consultants

In addition to these professionals, large hospital projects often require further specialist consultants, including:
• Fire Safety, Security, and Acoustics
• Medical Equipment and Lift Systems
• Databases and IT Infrastructure
• Landscaping and Traffic Flow
• Health, Safety & Environment (HSE)
• Waste Management and Radiation Protection
• Pneumatic Tube Systems (PTS)
• Automated Guided Vehicles (AGV)
• Building Management Systems (BMS)
• Nurse Call and Telecommunications Systems
• Surveying and 3D Modelling

Consequently, every consultant plays a vital role in ensuring the hospital design meets both functional and regulatory requirements.

The Hospital Design Stages

Initial Design Phase
Firstly, architects lead the design phase by developing high-level plans at scales such as 1:500 or 1:200, depending on the project’s size. These plans consider site constraints, local authority regulations, and the layout of essential elements such as lifts, staircases, and departmental adjacencies.

Detailed Design Stage
Once the client approves the initial plans and planning permission is secured, the project moves to 1:200-scale floor plans, fire strategies, and departmental layouts.
Next, the detailed design stage begins. During this stage, designers collaborate closely with the client to finalise room layouts. This includes a comprehensive schedule for every room, covering fittings, fixtures, finishes, equipment, service outlets, and engineering specifications. Furthermore, shared spaces such as corridors and staircases are also carefully planned.

For a structured approach to design management stages refer to UK’s Royal Institute of British Architects Plan of Works website here:

Compliance in Hospital Design

At every stage, the healthcare design team must ensure compliance with:

1. The Client Brief
2. Local authority requirements
3. Healthcare and engineering standards

In addition, compliance with statutory laws such as the Equality Act, sustainability standards, and the Changing Places regulations is mandatory. As a result, close attention to legal and regulatory frameworks prevents delays and costly redesigns.

Coordinating the Design Team

As the architectural model evolves, other consultants begin their respective designs. These contributions must be carefully coordinated to ensure accuracy. Therefore, one consultant, typically the architect, takes responsibility for managing and integrating all aspects of the design, especially when teams work remotely or use different systems.

Final Thoughts and Next Steps

These steps form the core of the hospital design process for larger projects. However, going into greater detail would require a dedicated book, which is beyond the scope of this article.

In conclusion, there is a growing global demand for experienced healthcare architects and specialist consultants. Hospital-Designs.com is developing a secure registration platform for verified professionals. Every application will be thoroughly checked for references and experience.

Moreover, registered consultants who sign a standard Non-Circumvention & Non-Disclosure Agreement may be referred to suitable projects for a small professional fee. Advertising slots are also available on flexible weekly, monthly, or annual plans instead of pay-per-click. Please email us for the current rates.