WJE Healthcare Architects

At WJE, we’re passionate about healthcare architecture and design – in large part because there’s great satisfaction in designing environments that help doctors and nurses and med techs diagnose and treat illnesses and injuries.

For instance, we regularly design spaces that house incredibly sophisticated medical equipment – spaces that must meet exacting technical requirements, while also supporting the comfort of patients and the ability of healthcare professionals to do their jobs.

And it’s not enough to get it right the first time. We also have to think about the future. More than ever, we must design with an eye toward constantly changing technology.

Recently, WJE designed the space to house a 32-slice CT Scanner. When the client acquired a 64-slice scanner, our experience with the previous machine – and our assumption that new technologies are par for the course (sometimes in a very short time frame) – gave us the background and context to handle the project quickly and accurately.

Plus, because we only work with healthcare clients, what we learn from one project often comes in handy when another client acquires a similar piece of technology. Once you design spaces for ten CT scanners, you have a good idea what to expect from the next ten. We understand the key concerns and space requirements for this large and expensive piece of technology. We know who to talk to and what to ask to prevent problems before they happen.

Multi-slice CT scanners are just a single example of evolving technology among thousands I could choose from, but this branch of computed tomography is a great example of how technology never holds still. Last November, Phillips introduced a 256-slice CT Scanner the Brilliance iCT and Toshiba debuted a dynamic volume CT scanner that provides “4D” imaging the Aquilion ONE.

We look forward to helping our clients make the leap.

– Michael Andrascek

Over the past 15 years, interior design has become increasingly important in healthcare settings of all kinds. Any casual observer can witness the growing attention to aesthetic details in hospitals, outpatient clinics, doctor’s offices, and long-term care facilities.

Patient expectations have changed, as has the understanding that an aesthetically pleasing environment is more conducive to comfort, care, and healing. This shift is more than a trend – it has become an essential part of what we do.

That’s why WJE invested in creating an in-house interior design team. We have long been an industry leader in the planning and technical aspects of healthcare architecture for nearly 30 years, and the addition of interior design to our capabilities was an important next step in keeping pace with our clients’ needs.

Interior design for healthcare is particularly challenging when you consider all the codes and regulations healthcare settings must adhere to. Contemporary healthcare settings may not feel cold and sterile – but they still need to support infection control. In addition, style can’t trump substance. Above all else, healthcare environments have to be functional and flexible. Interior design choices can’t hinder the delivery of care.

That’s why it made sense to add interior designers on the WJE team. Rather than sending our clients elsewhere for interior design work, we’ve made interior design an integral part of the process.

We currently have four interior designers on staff, supported by a growing library of interior design resources. And like everyone on our staff, WJE’s interior designers are focused solely on healthcare. As a result, we can ensure that interior design choices work seamlessly with other project requirements – saving our clients time, money, and headaches.

- Rick Embers

Green building practices are a natural fit for patient-care environments that promote healing. However, LEED specifications (LEED stands for “Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) do not yet include a healthcare category.

Why? Largely because it’s very difficult to balance green building standards with the other rigorous requirements healthcare facilities must satisfy, such as infection control. When you can’t find a recycled ceramic tile that’s easy to clean, then recycled isn’t an option.

In addition, healthcare systems are concerned about the cost of green design. It’s true that many of the technologies that support long-term energy savings can cost 10-20% more up front. One thing we do to help clients move toward greener practices is calculate life-cycle costs to show them how soon they will see a return on investment.

In addition, a lot of clients don’t realize that many green building materials don’t cost any more than traditional options. As WJE’s director of green building practices, I’m always looking for ways to lead our field toward a greener future, and WJE’s standard design specs already call for many building materials that would meet typical LEED qualifications.

One great example of this is air quality. LEED puts a major emphasis on controlling VOCs (Volatile Organic Compounds) released by many building materials. Obviously, this is an issue of great concern in healthcare environments. Alternate materials that reduce or eliminate VOCs often don’t cost any more than traditional materials, so we work with recycled materials and other options to address this issue. For instance, we are able to greatly reduce VOCs by using water-based rather than oil-based paint.

At WJE, we believe that green building is the right thing to do. Not only is it good for the environment – it’s also better for patients and the healthcare professionals who work in the facilities we design. Just because it isn’t required or regulated doesn’t mean we shouldn’t be doing all we can.

–Michael Andrascek

At WJE, we live and breathe healthcare. We aren’t diverted by other kinds of projects. We don’t have to switch gears from hour to hour. Every day, every person on our team is thinking about healthcare, from senior staff to draftspersons.

This unwavering focus on healthcare sets us apart from many firms out there that work on healthcare projects while also serving a variety of other markets. Here are three ways our focus on healthcare makes a difference:

#1 – We talk the talk
Effective communication is the key to successful projects, and we are fully immersed in the world of healthcare – and always eager to learn more. Not only are we interacting with healthcare clients every day, but we also proactively stay on top of industry trends.

#2 – We hit the ground running
Our clients don’t have to waste time and resources bringing us up to speed. We can get to options faster. And when we’re confronted with new challenges at any point in the design process, we have the expertise to analyze the situation quickly and take action.

#3 – We get the right people involved
Too often, key stakeholders in a project aren’t involved from day one – resulting in time and money lost later in the game. We work very hard on challenging clients to identify the people who should be involved. Our focus on healthcare means we know who to talk to and what we need to know to get things right the first time.

It’s really all about efficiency. Our full-time focus on healthcare allows us to work faster and smarter.

–Rick Embers