Senior Thesis Journal Part I: Research

70 DAYS TILL GRADUATION--that is how much time I have left to complete my thesis project, find a job, and find an apartment in the cities. It seems like a short to-do list for such a long period of time. But if college has taught me anything it is that time does indeed fly!

I wanted to take a pause from my busy schedule to document the various stages of my Senior Project. The first phase of which has just recently been completed. The first month and a half of our senior design studio was dedicated towards research and programming. The research phase consisted of a LOT of reading, interviews, and site tours.

For my thesis project I have decided to explore the field of healthcare design. It is something I have always been interested in and would consider pursuing after graduation. My thesis project is to design a Family Birthing Center/Labor + Delivery Unit within a hospital. Some of the reasons I chose this particular project is that the industry has seen many hospitals remodeling their labor and delivery units. This could be because the women in these facilities are NOT sick and the traditional/sterile hospital environment does not support their needs during this exciting stage of their life. From a business perspective it makes financial sense to invest in Labor and Delivery floors because most woman get to choose the facility they give birth in and a good experience can make them a patient of that hospital for life. Also, a remodel can give a hospital an advantage over their competitors. Finally, I would be lying if I didn't admit that part of the reason I chose to do a labor and delivery floor was inspired by my lovely mother who has worked as a nurse with infants for much of her career. She has been a tremendous resource to me during this initial researching phase.

I have found that this researching phase has been both exciting and enlightening. It has shed light on information that will inform my design, so that the final outcome is not just attractive but more importantly it will be functional and innovative. A reoccurring statement I found during my research was that, "pregnant women are NOT sick" and therefore you should not design a hospital as if they were. I have also found that the physical environment that surrounds an individual can greatly impact the laboring process. There are three major hormones responsible for the labor: Oxytocin, Beta-Endorphins, and Adrenaline. Oxytocin is responsible for producing contractions. Ironically relaxation improves the production of this hormone. Darkness can also stimulate this hormone which is a factor in why many women go into labor at night. The second hormone, Beta-Endorphins help with pain management during the laboring process. Many women choose to have an epidural to manage their pain during labor but this can slow down the process and has the potential of complications. Interestingly, during my research I found that water immersion can be almost as effective as an epidural when it comes to managing pain (Although I am sure their are plenty of pregnant women who would question this finding!) The final hormone is adrenaline. Too much of this can slow down the laboring process tremendously and make it more painful. Adrenaline can spike because of stress and there are many aspects of a traditional hospital that could cause a laboring woman stress. Some factors that affect adrenaline levels in a hospital setting are: Lack of Privacy, Noise levels, Light levels, Ease of Access, Lack of Space, and Lack of Control. The goal of my thesis project is to create an environment that promotes a more natural birthing process by designing a space that is comfortable for the patients with the hope that it feel more like a hotel than a hospital.

However, a hospital is also a workplace and it is important to consider the needs of the staff that work long hours in these facilities. My first site visit and interview was a tour of the Summit Hospital near Oconomowoc, WI. The unit manager, Cari C., facilitated my tour and was able to provide me with an employees perspective on the hospital's design. In healthcare there is a high traffic flow. It is important to select materials that are durable and arrange the space so that circulation/wayfinding is intuitive. Employees often work long hours and it is important to consider their well being. Employee areas such as, break rooms, locker rooms, and restrooms should be easily accessible to them and everyone within the space should have a 'right to natural light'. This includes patients, guests, AND employees. The tour also gave me an understanding of the less public areas of a hospital wing, which include, charting rooms, dirty/clean utility rooms, on-call/sleeping rooms, and even isolation rooms for contagious patients.

My research continued with interviewing two extremely talented designers who have worked on the successful Mother Baby Centers in the Greater Twin Cities area. The first interview was with Julie Robertson, Design Principal at HDR. She was the lead designer of all three Mother Baby Centers. The first of which met its 5 year birth rate goal in the first two weeks of opening! In addition to discussing her project she also shed light on some areas of design I had not considered previously. One aspect of the design I never considered is that not all women will be leaving the hospital with their baby. The design should comfort the mother in these difficult situations by providing a quiet grieving area and selecting neutral finishes/artwork that will won't be a constant reminder of her loss. A successful design must be sensitive and address these difficult situations.

My second interview was with Kristina Johnson of Aecom who assisted Julie Robertson in the design of the Mother Baby Center. Kristina helped me understand the important adjacencies that had to be met in order to achieve an efficient floor plan. Security is a major factor in a Labor and Delivery unit. The facility has to do everything in its power to eliminate the possibility of infant abductions. The design and placement of entrance/exits can contribute to the security of a unit. Additionally, employee areas and storage must be carefully designed to maximize efficiency and limit the number of steps/reduce the time need for staff to do certain tasks. The following image is a bubble diagram of the ideal adjacency within the unit.

The next phase of the design process is schematic design. In this phase I will look at building code requirements, create a list of project goals, and begin to develop what I want the space to look/feel like. Additionally, I plan on collaborating with my roommate, the talented graphic design major, Caitlyn Hoffmann, on developing a wayfinding system that is new and innovate. I am a huge advocate of cross-disciplinary/integrated design and I look forward to where this collaboration will lead. Stay tuned for future updates and if you've read this far consider yourself formally invited to my Senior Show Exhibition on May 4, 2018!