Written by Molly Gamble
Proficient healthcare design gives hospitals the buildings and framework to help them gain 
efficiency and avoid risks associated with healthcare reform. Doug Strout, healthcare practice leader for KMD Architects, explains recent trends in hospital design along with tips for hospitals considering future development.
1. Design-build is a cost-effective, time-saving delivery method. Traditionally, architects and engineers designed and documented instructions for contractors to build, a project delivery system known as design-bid-build. General contractors bid for the work and came in on the project after the design had been established. With the design-build process, however, contractors and architectural/engineering design teams combine forces to collaborate on design and construction. This approach, called a turnkey delivery method, is meant to reduce the time-cost and financial burdens of the project. “This will become more frequent since hospitals are looking for opportunities or delivery methods that allow them to have what they need sooner and with less cost,” says Mr. Strout. The Surgery/Emergency Replacement Project at Harbor-UCLA Medical Center in Torrance, Calif., is a current KMD project being designed and constructed via design-build delivery method.