484 Interior Design Copyright Goodheart-Willcox Co., Inc. S pecialty Commercial Design Space Needs Commercial design responds to many different types and sizes of occupants and users of the space, while considering ages and abilities. Following are some of the more common commercial design specialties with a few basic design considerations listed for each. They are outlined here to give you an idea of how each specialty is a little, or a lot, different from each other. Healthcare Facility Design The healthcare fi eld is constantly bombarded with cutting-edge technology and evolving healthcare practices and regulations. There are many special- ized fi elds within the profession with highly educated individuals that grapple daily with demanding sched- ules and life-and-death situations. Interior design and architectural fi rms specialize specifi cally in the design of hospitals or other healthcare facilities due to their complex and life safety issues. Typically large in scale, these commercial projects generally take several years to complete and involve many diverse team members. Today, a guiding process used in the design of them is evidence-based design (EBD), which emerged from the healthcare profession. When designing healthcare facilities, there are common issues to consider. Some of these include ■ effi cient and welcoming reception areas that direct traffi c and guests to the proper locations ■ convenient locations for nursing staff and stations in relationship to patient rooms ■ high levels of cleanliness and sanitization throughout all areas ■ separation of clean supply areas from soiled utility rooms ■ space to prepare planned meals for those staying overnight ■ design of patient rooms to support patient, family, and caregivers plus access to and from patient rooms (for instance, movement of patient beds from one area to another requires doorways that are a minimum of 48 inches wide) ■ easy-access storage for lifesaving equipment in the patient room ■ respite corners for family and staff off the nursing unit ■ planned privacy for working with confi dential issues related to patient records and private conversations ■ planned wayfi nding systems such as signage, color schemes, and positioning of staff and landmarks Gensler Project Team: Charrisse Johnston, Danielle Gharst, Has Herst, Jenny Ogasawara, Phillipe Pare, Shawn Shin/Photography: Benny Chan, Fotoworks/Los Angeles Community Museum of Art Figure 14-3 Vertical transportation such as elevators and stairs are important to moving building occupants from one part of a structure to another. ©Judy Davis, Hoachlander Davis Photography/Designed by ForrestPerkins