A review of post pandemic healthcare design

Abstract

The COVID-19 virus outbreak called for the redesign of hospital infrastructure to be resilient for possible future outbreaks. Before the pandemic, there was a causal link between the design of hospitals and the spread of nosocomial infections. Also, previous studies have revealed associations between climate change and the increased rate of the spread of infectious diseases. Hence, this review created a framework of strategies for pandemic-resilient and sustainable hospitals while emphasizing the role of architects in health promotion. The study conducted a qualitative content analysis of existing studies on the design of healthcare facilities post pandemic to build the framework of strategies. The research was organised into short, medium and long-term measures for pandemic resilience. The study has demonstrated that the framework for the space planning, ventilation, and material specification of hospitals must be revised for pandemic-resilient hospitals. The findings reveal that most of the design strategies that can control the spread of infection in a healthcare facility could also be a panacea for decreasing the carbon footprint of hospitals. Nonetheless, the paper has established the need for further interdisciplinary study on design strategies for impending pandemics that are applicable to all building typologies.