Health Care Design
Essential Questions:
- Can I as a single practicing architect
design health care facilities?
Yes, as you will see from the
list of completed projects of mine below, I have!
- Can I as a single practitioner "team
up" with another office of architects who have specialized
knowledge of some particular area of health care? Yes
again! I have done this myself. I am expected to hire the best
consultants available for my client if I do not know about a
particular specialized subject matter. The consultant is hired
for this specialized knowledge, such as a specialist who just
designs MRI rooms in a hospital.
- Will I as a single practitioner bring
you better service than a larger firm? I will bring you
a more personalized service. I will bring you an answer direct
from my knowledge, promptly and you will not be asked to wait
for some third party to get back to you as is common in larger
firms. If you want and enjoy direct contact with people you rely
upon, this may be a more comfortable path for you to follow.
- Does a single practitioner offer less
potential communication problems?
In my opinion, yes. I have helped
to run firms that are some of the largest in the country and
it is just a fact of life that a single practitioner is easier
to find and speak to than searching for that "one"
in a firm of 4,500.
- Are Nursing Homes, Day Care Centers
and Half Way Homes considered health care projects in the same
way as Hospitals? Sure. The same laws cover all of these facilities
for design and construction, the State Health Codes.
- Are these challenging projects for
me as an architect? Yes they are very challenging for me and they
are also one of the more emotionally rewarding projects I can
design. Knowing that what I do will have a direct positive effect
on some other individuals life truly causes me to pause and smile.
I have been thanked personally by patients' in a renial dialysis
ward that I designed, for helping to save their life's. Now really,
wouldn't you smile too?
Health care facilities are among our most
important building type and all of us will at one time or another
need to use them. They are also among the most heavily legislated
and protected building types that an architect can design. There
are laws that govern every design aspect of a health care facility,
from room size to the number of bedrooms allowed, to what type
of service the hospital will provide overall. Each health care
facility is uniquely designed to meet a Community or Regional
need after approval by the State Board of Health. In New York
State for example, a whole section of the state law that consists
of 11 books of code, are written just for this subject, health
care.
I have many years of experience working
for other architects while I was in training, designing health
care facilities. Since opening my own practice, I have continued
to work in this very complex and rewarding area of my profession
while understanding fully that this is indeed a specialized area
of architectural design requiring constant review of the latest
codes, medical improvements and community needs.
Listing of completed projects:
- Westchester Medical Center Complex. White
Plains, N.Y. (Project architect in association with another architect
( Sal Vasi, AIA) for complete ADA study, cost analysis, working
drawings & specifications and supervision of contract documents
and construction at three major buildings.)
- Westchester County Building. White Plains,
N.Y. (Project architect in association with another architect
(Sal Vasi, AIA) for complete ADA study, cost analysis, working
drawings & specifications and supervision of contract documents
and construction at main County Exhibit Building.)
- Renovation and Alterations, Martha Lawrence
Day Care Center, Peekskill, N.Y. (Principal Architect of 30,000
S.F. renovation of a old school into the largest Day Care Center
in New York State. Meets all ADA requirements.)
- Physical Survey "MRI" Building,
St. Francis Hospital, North Street, Poughkeepsie, N.Y.
(Principal Architect-Survey to confirm compliance with all NY
State Board of Health and ADA requirements.)
- Alterations and Expansion to Renal Dialysis
Unit, St. Francis Hospital, North Street, Poughkeepsie, N.Y.
(Principal Architect of 10,000 S.F. alteration, while patient
care continued, and additional sky lighted waiting room was created
on a roof top area. Meets all ADA requirements.)
- ETO Certification of Main Sterilizing
Rooms, St. Francis Hospital, North Street, Poughkeepsie, N.Y.
(Principal Architect of new system to bring ETO emissions into
compliance with new international laws for toxic gas dispersal
into the air. Meets all ADA requirements.)
- Central Sterile Supply Alterations, St.
Francis Hospital, North Street, Poughkeepsie, N.Y. (Principal
Architect of 450% increase to the sterilization capability of
the Central Sterile Unit. Meets all ADA requirements.)
- Replacement of Emergency Underground
Fuel System, St. Francis Hospital, North Street, Poughkeepsie,
N.Y. (Principal Architect of special concrete fuel tanks, gas
and diesel, consisting of three 10,000 gallon #4 oil tanks, one
6,000 gallon #2 oil tank, one 2,000 gallon diesel oil and Gasoline
tank (split down center) for an state of the art, remote fill,
above ground storage system meeting all the latest NYS-DEC and
Federal requirements requirements.)
- Replacement of Emergency Underground
Fuel System, St. Francis, Hospital--Beacon, Beacon, N.Y. (Principal
Architect of special 10,000 gallon #4 oil tank above ground storage
system and creating a dual oil/gas capability for the boilers
meeting all the latest NYS-DEC and Federal requirements.)
- Study for Alterations to accommodate
Mobile Lithotripter Unit, St. Francis Hospital North Street,
Poughkeepsie, N.Y. (Principal Architect of special building to
accommodate "semi-trailer, MRI mobile unit". Meets
all ADA requirements.)
- Pediatric/Rehabilitation Evaluation Study,
St. Francis Hospital, North Street, Poughkeepsie, N.Y. (Principal
Architect--Study for expansion capabilities and ADA compliance.)
- Community Residence, Pawling, N.Y. New
York State DHCR. (Principal Architect of the total conversion
of single family housing unit into multi-family housing for emotionally
challenged out patients of the Hudson Valley Psychiatric Hospital.)
- Flushing Hospital Medical Center/Parsons
Division, Flushing N.Y. (Project manager for a 50,000 S.F. total
redesign and renovation of a four story, 100 bed hospital, including
all Plumbing, Electric, H.V.A.C., Mechanical, Medical gases,
Boilers, Roofs, Kitchen, Cafeteria, Patient rooms plus all medical
areas -with Architecture for Health, Science & Commerce.)
- Total "GUT" Renovation and
Alteration, Parsons Medical Facility, Flushing Medical Center,
Parsons Blvd. and 45th Street, Flushing, N.Y. (Architect for
Gut--Renovation of 120 bed teaching hospital, including all gases,
electric, plumbing, electric, HVAC, energy conservation devices,
interior design, wards, operating suites, kitchen etc. Meets
all ADA requirements - with Architecture for Health, Science
& Commerce.)
- Out Patient Day Care Center, Nyack, N.Y.
New York State Facilities Development Corp. (Designer of the
total conversation of 2,000 S.F. retail store on two floors into
a medical treatment center for drug rehabilitation - with Schoefield
Cogan Architects.)
- Out-patient Day Care Center, Nyack Plaza,
Nyack, N.Y. (Designer of 20,000 S. F. Drug and Substance Abuse
Center in concourse area of Main Street building - with Schoefield
Cogan Architects.)
- Alterations to Operating Suites, Phelps
Memorial Hospital, Route 9 North, North Tarrytown, N.Y. (Designer
of new HVAC and lighting system - with Schoefield Cogan Architects.)
- Alterations and Renovations, Ruth Taylor
Psychiatric Center, Valhalla, N.Y. (Designer with other architects
of Gut--Renovation of over 200,000 S. F. of hospital wards with
Schoefield Cogan Architects.)
- Rehabilitation of Cottages # 42, 43,
44, and 45, Letchworth Development Center, Thiells, N.Y. (Designer
for all maintenance alterations and general up-dates to kitchen
and bath room units - with Schoefield Cogan Architects.)
- Nyack Seminary College, South Boulevard,
Nyack, N.Y. (Project architect for the alteration of administrative
building and dormitory facilities. 3 buildings of about 90,000
S.F. total -with Schoelfield Colgan Architects)
- Nyack Seminary College, South Boulevard,
Nyack, N.Y. (Project architect for the total redesign and rehabilitation
of a 4,964 S.F. church and rectory with Schoelfield Colgan Architects.)
- Ruth Taylor Institute, Psychiatric Center,
Valhalla, N.Y. County of Westchester, (Project designer of a
500,000 S.F. total renovation of all patient and professional
staff and visitor areas in a four story, 75 year old building
-with Schoefield Cogan Architects.)
- Letchworth Development Center, Thiells,
N.Y. New York State Facilities Development Corp. (Project designer
for the rehabilitation's of serving areas in "cottages"
42,43, 44 and 45, the kitchens, dining and bath areas, of about
10,000 S.F. with -Schoefield Cogan Architects)
- Phelps Memorial Hospital, North Tarrytown,
N.Y. (Designer of alterations to main operating and X-ray suite,
consisting about 10,000 S.F. with -Schoefield Cogan Architects)
- Community Residence, Strawtown Road,
New City, N.Y. New York State Facilities Development Corp. (Designer
of the total conversion of 4 single family housing units into
multi-family housing for drug rehabilitation - with Schoefield
Cogan Architects.)