HKS is using BIM to complete the $588 million expansion of the Phoenix Children’s Hospital.

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As the largest healthcare design firm worldwide, HKS Inc.’s extensive experience helps the Dallas-based architectural firm adapt to the changing marketplace. A number of factors are driving market trends, including the aging population, access to healthcare and a boom in facilities construction, according to Principal Joe Sprague.   

Although some healthcare projects are on hold due to the economic crisis, Sprague is confident this hiatus is temporary. “We are anticipating a slowdown of overall work due to the economic situation, but it will quickly rebound because of the demographics and the demand [for healthcare services] continuing to escalate,” he says.   

“It just develops a backlog, and like most other business cycles experiences, there is a boom that will follow a downturn. That may take six months or two years, but [what we] can do is determine how best to position ourselves when that turn comes.”   

As HKS adapts to the slowdown, it is positioning itself to be a leader in sustainability, safety and building information modeling (BIM). “Many health systems today are looking into how to drive out costs by [using] lean design and reducing operation costs, square footage requirements and staffing costs, which creates a better margin and a better return on investment,” Sprague explains.

SMDC Sees Green
Sustainability is one of the driving forces in today’s healthcare industry, Sprague notes. “The movement to green design is not just part of the new government administration,” he states. “There are a lot of elements in the sustainability area that produce substantial savings over time, such as internal investment in energy conservation and operational efficiencies. The whole notion is that you end up with zero carbon output and [become] very environmentally friendly. There’s more to the green movement than what Energy Star-certified hospitals are looking at. Hospitals are very energy-intensive, and finding ways to reduce energy consumption will pay off over time.”   

For example, HKS’s work on the St. Mary’s/Duluth Clinic (SMDC) in Duluth, Minn., was notable for its sustainable elements. Opening in 2006, the four-story, 225,000-square-foot addition to the existing campus included a cancer center, a digestive health center and a diagnostic imaging center, as well as pediatric, internal medicine and OB/Gyn clinics.   

SMDC is one of the nation’s first LEED gold-certified healthcare facilities, and it is located on an urban brownfield site that overlooks Lake Superior. HKS used paints, adhesives, stains and finishes that are free of volatile organic compounds. In addition, all interior finishes met the GREENGUARD Environmental Institute certification, a program to help improve public health.    

Another example is the use of wood pulp and wheat grass to replace polyvinyl chloride – which is known to have a negative impact on respiratory health – for wall coverings. Linoleum floors were also made from renewable materials such as linseed oil, pine and other rosins instead of vinyl tile.    

SMDC also implemented a green housekeeping program that includes the use of environmentally friendly cleaning products, relocating equipment from existing facilities for reuse in the new project and instituting its own recycling program, HKS says.

‘World’s Safest Hospital’
According to the National Institute of Health, hospitals are attesting to incorporate facility and operational procedures to reduce the spread of infections, Sprague says. “In 2006, the Guidelines for Design and Construction of Health Care Facilities stated single bedrooms as a minimum requirement for acute care medical surgical facilities,” he explains. “This is the first time the national Guidelines had a minimum environment for private single bedrooms. It was picked up by [more than] 40 states in terms of regulation or licensure, so architects have to follow the new requirements. That is another issue of driving patient safety.”   

HKS is working with the Boca Raton Community Hospital (BRCH) to build a 530-bed teaching hospital on its 38-acre site in South Florida. When completed in 2011, the 1.2 million-square-foot facility is designed to be “the world’s safest hospital,” HKS says. Located in Florida Atlantic University, the new hospital will include private patient rooms and corridors with clear, distinct zones for the public, outpatients, inpatients and service/staff.

All on the Same Page
Many hospitals are using BIM to deliver facilities that are more efficient and cost- effective, and HKS says it is at the forefront of this technology. “BIM really puts together a process that has the architects, contractors and owners on the same page,” Sprague stresses. “It is not as adversarial as the more traditional approach, and it creates opportunities to be more efficient.”   

HKS used BIM on the Phoenix Children’s Hospital, a $588 million expansion project in Arizona. Scheduled for a 2012 completion, the plan includes a new 770,000-square-foot patient and ambulatory tower, a main entry boulevard and circle drive, a central plant and three parking structures.    

“Revit, [a BIM design software], helped identify coordination challenges and complicated details at material intersections early in the design process,” Sprague says. “Revit’s ability to generate and update door schedules, room finishes and coordinate drawing references allowed the team to focus on the architectural details and coordination.    

“HKS sent Kitchell, the contractor, the Revit model throughout the design process to coordinate with the subcontractor’s 3-D models for mechanical ductwork. The firm also sent models to mechanical, engineering and plumbing (MEP) engineer ccrd partners, allowing them to design complicated mechanical rooms and verify clearances with structures. HKS relied on the Revit models to print columns, cross bracing and concrete basement walls on the architectural drawings.”

Worldwide Capabilities
Experience sets HKS apart from the competition, Sprague notes. “We have an extensive database that we bring to [our] clients, offering them expertise that has been tried and proven and often used in developing hospital designs,” he states.    

HKS maintains a Clinical Solutions & Research group, which is made up of architects, clinical specialists, nurses, physicians and technologists from its staff. Having this in-house capability helps the company, too. “They enable us to be more operationally savvy in the delivery of healthcare and understand how staffing affects design and vice versa,” Sprague says.   

HKS is not only a key player in the United States, but it has increased its global reach over time, as well. “We have been asked to submit projects around the globe,” Sprague states.   

“We have offices in the Middle East, India, Mexico, United Kingdom and Brazil. Each of these global areas has a different cultural approach to designing facilities that we are quite often asked to respond to. But the concept of 21st century U.S. healthcare design and planning is always a desired goal.”

Diverse Capabilities
About 50 percent of HKS’ work is in healthcare, and 20 percent is in hospitality. Commercial and corporate work makes up about 8.5 percent, high-rise condominiums are about 6 percent and sports facilities are about 5 percent. 

Diversity is one of the many factors that set the company apart, HKS says. In addition, HKS believes that diversity of work gives its employees more growth opportunities.