Fenestration, Daylighting, and Controlling Heat Gain in Behavioral Facilities

The final topic we’ll discuss here are products that aid in maximizing the benefits of daylighting and also control heat gain. As our main example, we’ll take a look at roller shades and the benefits they bring to health-care settings, with a specific focus on mental health/behavioral facilities.

Roller Shades

The benefits of roller shades lie in the ability to take advantage of daylighting and control heat gain, while still allowing for an outdoor view depending on the fabric’s openness pattern. In addition, allowing patients to adjust the level of light or brightness increases their sense of control.

Experts note that it is important to select shades specifically manufactured for use in behavioral facilities. They should feature:

• enclosed security roller boxes,
• cordless operation,
• durable fabrics that are easy to clean but difficult to damage, and
• locking devices that resist tampering by patients. On this last point, cordless roller shades can be much more cost effective and offer lower maintenance than encased blinds.

Photo courtesy of Inpro

Roller shades can offer numerous benefits—from allowing in natural light to providing patients with a greater sense of control of their environment.

Printed roller shades: Printed roller shades provide all the same benefits but go a step further. Again, the introduction of nature scenes has a benefit of reducing patient stress. An additional benefit of healing window treatments is that they reduce destruction where framed artwork is not allowed. There is anecdotal evidence from administrators at several behavioral health facilities that patients tend to not vandalize window shades in spaces where printed shades were installed. Patients appreciated the printed images and were less likely to damage or destroy them, due in part to decreased anxiety.

Photo courtesy of Inpro

Personnel at behavioral health facilities report that patients were less likely to vandalize printed window shades.

ACOUSTIC ENHANCEMENTS: ST. JOSEPH MEDICAL CENTER, TACOMA, WASHINGTON

Photo courtesy of Inpro

Bendable curtain track and carrier

Erik Miller-Klein, PE, of SSA Acoustics, a leader in hospital acoustics, was retained to provide detailed design solutions and conduct noise impact and acoustic measurements of cubicle curtain track at the completion of the open plan neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) renovations at St. Joseph Medical Center in Tacoma, Washington. These results are compared to the 2010 Facility Guideline Institute (FGI) standards for health-care environments and the NICU performance standards, and the improvements from the pre-design evaluation.

The new aluminum, core polymer-clad flexible curtain track and carriers used in the Level III area are 75 percent quieter than the existing carrier style track in the Level II area and meets the noise-impact guidelines.

Detailed Findings: Curtain Rail and Carriers

Before Renovation: The curtain track and carrier use a plastic carrier that slides in the metal track. This style of track and carrier has a tendency to repeatedly get stuck and then continue to slide, which creates rattling, and plastic on metal contact that produces excess noise. The curtain tested within the NICU produced 50 percent more instantaneous noise than the goal.

After Renovation: The new curtain track and carrier, shown supporting the privacy curtain in the image below, produces 75 percent less sound than the original grooved style and has been installed throughout the Level III areas.

Conclusion

According to a recently published article in Global Advances in Health and Medicine, “The U.S. health-care system is facing unprecedented challenges related to escalating costs, an aging population, health-care reform, and a struggling economy. In light of these challenges, there is an urgency to evaluate and implement new approaches and models of care with emphasis not just on curing disease but on prevention, wellness, and managing population health.” It goes on to say that “aligning mission and purpose with business strategies” is a powerful driver of financial success. Research conducted by Gallup scientists concluded that “mission can drive margin through loyalty, customer engagement, strategic alignment, and clarity for decision-making and priorities.”²

That said, with product advancements such as those discussed in this course, architects and designers are armed with the tools they need to continue working toward a goal of maximizing efficiencies and functionality in health-care settings—always with patient care and occupant well-being in mind. From optimizing acoustics, reducing infections, and creating safe passage down hallways and into patient rooms to safety and security concerns and structural integrity, these products as well as a host of others will continue to support the needs of patients and their family members as well as staff and facility owners.

End notes

¹Huisman, E.R.C.M. et al. “Healing environment: A review of the impact of physical environmental factors on users.” Building and Environment. Volume 58, Pages 70–80. December 2012. Web. 7 Nov. 2017. www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0360132312001758.

²Sakallaris, Bonnie R. et all. “The Business Case for Optimal Healing Environments.” Global Advances in Health and Medicine. 1 Jan. 2016. Web. 7 Nov. 2017. www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4756787/.