Framework for Balancing Socio-Spatial, Energy, and Daylighting Objectives in Healthcare Facilities Design

Abstract

In recent years, numerous studies have explored the effect of the spatial layout of hospital inpatient units on nurse surveillance, staff communication, infection control, and wayfinding. There has also been extensive research on enhancing daylighting and energy performance as vital factors impacting patients' well-being and assisting in designing sustainable and cost-effective projects. However, there is a lack of studies addressing the combination of these objectives. This research explores the potential of a multi-objective optimization framework that synergizes socio-spatial organizational goals, like patients’ privacy, nurse surveillance, staff communication, and travel distance with energy, and daylighting efficiency in inpatient wards. A weighted sum scalarization fitness function was employed to achieve preference-based multi-objective optimization and determine the layout that balances the mentioned objectives. The research team distributed a survey to healthcare facilities designers and practitioners to assess each objective’s relative importance and assigned weight. The analysis conducted in this study is for a hot arid climate. The findings of this research elucidate that the optimum inpatient ward layout depends on stakeholder priorities. Out of the investigated layouts, the rectilinear layout with a cul-de-sac corridor facing North provided the best balance of all eight goals when their weights are equal. Meanwhile, the cruciform layout, with centrally located nurse stations, performed best in prioritizing patient privacy and surveillance, which stakeholders identified as the most vital parameters in inpatient ward design. This research helps streamline the design and decision-making process for large-scale healthcare projects, thus helping improve healthcare quality and creating spatially efficient, climate-responsive projects.