If you were asked what contributions specific industries have made to the advancement of the design and construction industry, you could probably develop quite a list. If however, you were asked this same question about the healthcare design and construction industry, the list would be much shorter. 

Why is this and why has the healthcare industry not embraced the concept of cross-pollination?  

Cross-pollination in the architecture and engineering profession is taking lessons learned from one industry building type and applying it to another. In the purest sense, when the lessons learned are applied there is either an innovation, an improvement in a process or a new product evolves.

An important element in the use of cross-pollination is the awareness of learning from building type successes and failures as they are applied to other project experiences. Furthermore, it is the use of research and evidence-based design that truly maximizes the process of cross-pollination.

To assist with the understanding of the science of cross-pollination and how the healthcare planning and design industry can benefit, specific examples are included below for your consideration. 

So, after reviewing these examples, which ones are applicable to healthcare building types? Do you have your own examples to share? And, do you have any specific creative and innovative ideas on how the healthcare industry can implement them? 

Please share your ideas and suggest potential improvements in healthcare planning and design.

Gary Vance is the Director of National Healthcare for BSA LifeStructures.Gary is a recognized thought leader in healthcare planning and design, providing hospitals with creative solutions to their facility problems. He also collaborates with various healthcare constituent groups to develop innovative solutions to operational, facility and organizational problems. He can be reached at gvance@bsalifestructures.com. For more information, please visit www.bsalifestructures.com.