Today, new pedagogical approaches to education influence contemporary educational architecture. Flexible spaces are key to encouraging creativity and inquiry among students and can help educators provide deeper learning experiences. In many communities, educational facilities also serve as gathering spaces and social hubs.

Two Parkin projects in northern Canada exemplify how flexibility in educational facility design can encourage growth and deliver spaces where students, staff, and the whole community can feel welcome and thrive.

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Recently, nursing burnout made the news when the Registered Practical Nurses Association of Ontario (WePRN) reported that 1 out of 3 nurses in Ontario has considered quitting the profession due to burnout over the past year. Similarly, a much larger study in 2010 found that 26% of those considering leaving the profession cited fatigue as one of the key reasons that they are thinking about quitting.

Long hours, a looming nursing shortage, and shift rotation can all take their toll on nurses over the long term. Burnout manifests as emotional exhaustion, dissatisfaction in their personal and work achievements, and depersonalization or an impersonal response to the people under their care. One of the many solutions that can help offer more support for nurses is building and working space design.

When it comes to patient care, evidence-based design elements such as access to natural views and daylight, noise control, room layout, and barrier free environments have proven to promote patient wellbeing, including reductions in the need for medication and decreased recovery times. Designers are now asking how we can better leverage these same elements to benefit the wellbeing of the nursing staff.

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One of the biggest barriers that designers face when collaborating with various stakeholders in a project is the ability to convey design ideas to decision makers. While architects and designers are highly trained to visualize 3D spaces from 2D drawings and scale models, many clients will struggle to comprehend how some decisions will become manifest in the physical world. This can lead to costly and time-consuming errors, especially if changes need to be rectified later in the planning or building stages.

While 3D modelling software overcomes some of these limitations by providing more detailed, accurate models, Virtual Reality (VR) technology can take computer-generated modelling to the next level. Combined, these technologies offer clients and design teams the ability to make decisions in real time from anywhere in the world. Decision making can happen faster and more confidently without the need for constant in-person meetings and site inspections throughout the design and construction process.

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As the second wave of COVID-19 hammers communities around the world, governments and health organizations are working to diminish risk in our most vulnerable populations. Prisons pose particular challenges for staff, policymakers, and designers alike. Much like long-term care facilities that are experiencing devastating breakouts, prisons by nature are enclosed spaces that render social distancing difficult—especially when respiratory infections like COVID can spread readily.

COVID-19 is a threat to the people who live and who work within prisons. Staff members also risk inadvertently spreading the virus to their families and communities. Tackling the unique issues that prisons face can improve the well-being of those living and working in prisons and communities—today and into the future.

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As we look back on 2020, we would like to thank our staff, partners, and all team members for their hard work and dedication over this past year. This year has not been easy, but it has been rewarding to be able to contribute our services to the community and work with amazing teams.  We look forward to the coming year and the opportunity to achieve great things together in 2021.

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“Patient centered care needs to include careful consideration of the caregiver work environment.” – Brent Whiteley, Vice-President, Parkin Architects

Medication errors constitute one of the most common types of preventable adverse events leading to patient harm and fatalities in healthcare facilities today. According to the Canadian Patient Safety Institute, drug- and fluid-related incidents are the second most common type of adverse healthcare events in Canada.

These errors can occur anywhere along the healthcare process, from initial prescription ordering, dispensing and administration, to the updating of medication records. A combination of social, cognitive, organizational/systems, and environmental factors all contribute to the potential for human error, including worker fatigue, workspace layout, lighting, climate control, and noise levels.

Human error is inevitable, but research over the past 20 years indicates that the design of a healthcare facility’s physical environment can have a significant impact on patient safety and staff performance. By assessing latent environmental conditions that led to human error, designers can develop solutions using evidence-based design principles to deliver more focused and efficient work and patient spaces that support staff and, ultimately, reduce potentially harmful mistakes.

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