THE PRESENT AND FUTURE DEMAND FOR MEDICAL SPACES TO RESPOND TO INFECTIOUS DISEASE

Design Requirements for Medical Facilities

edical spaces are visited by sick people, whose needs vary from slight, in the case of common colds, to severe, those on transplant lists or undergoing chemotherapy. Many people fully recover following treatment, but ironically, some become sicker and even die because of the care given to them, from secondary infections or accidents. Thus, architectural design for healthcare spaces must be based on objective scientific facts, instead of the architect’s individual experiences. With this in mind, the American non-profit organization, the Center for Health Design, administers Evidence-Based Design Accreditation and Certification (EDAC) in order to develop processes that accredit architects, healthcare executives, technicians, and researchers as practicing data-driven design. The Korean equivalent is fulfilled by the Medical Planner, who specialises in the design of medical facilities, and who works closely with healthcare professionals to create safer, healthier healthcare spaces. For the general public, hospitals are rarely associated with fond memories, but for healthcare workers and staff, for better or for worse, they are everyday spaces and effectively a microcosm of society. Thus, medical spaces must be designed to reflect the With the outbreaks of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) in 2003 and Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) in 2015, it was only matter of time before another infectious disease appeared on our doorstep. Coronavirus Disease-19 (COVID-19) arrived even sooner than expected. As the saying goes,