PRIORITIZING CEILINGS IN HEALTHCARE ESTABLISHMENTS
For the longest time, there has been a running negligence towards ceilings in medical facilities. Designing such establishments comes with a set of challenges that must be tackled in a seamless and efficient fashion. With strict protocols ensuring patient safety, expensive and precise equipment use, and regulatory compliance, the building design is supposed to promise both adaptability and resilience, marking patient health as a top priority.
While this may appear trivial, as per recent studies, it is necessary to consider how ceilings play a crucial role in regulating indoor air quality. With COVID largely affecting the global healthcare landscape and research acknowledging how indoor air is far more hazardous than outdoor air, it is important to acknowledge the role of ceilings in hospitals and outpatient facilities.Â
In this blog, today we will be looking deeper into how specific ceiling systems impact the overall functionality and patient well-being in healthcare.
THE UNSUNG HERO OF HEALTHCARE INTERIORS
In terms of healthcare interiors, there is a sense of precision in every minute detail. Despite the stereotypical notion of being monotonous and dull, designing healthcare interiors does not equate to generic commercial space designs. Amongst the pristine walls, systematic furnishing, and high-tech equipment, ceilings in healthcare are often overlooked despite their efficient air-improving quality. Housing air purifiers and UV-C systems, regulating air ventilation and pressurization, and securing air quality with effective tile usage, ceilings can help with better airflow and minimal airborne contamination and risk hazards.
With studies suggesting that 10% to 20% of Hospital Acquired Infections (HAI) are the result of airborne transmission, 50% of respiratory illnesses are aggravated by airborneformaldehyde (a common VOC), and noise levels exceeding up to 90 dB in peak hospital environment, it is high time to consider how ceiling patterns can help with maintaining hygiene, better sound absorption, and minimising risk for future accidents in enclosed spaces. As the Facility Guidelines Institute (FGI) suggests, use of specific type of hospital ceilings can highly improve the functionality and acoustics of medical spaces.
TYPES OF CEILING MATERIALS AND SYSTEMS FOR HEALTHCARE
- Suspended ceilings: Highly acclaimed for its easy accessibility and maintenance, suspended ceilings in healthcare make the ideal choice for offering a sense of style and comfort with their innovative features like improved sound absorption, air circulation, minimising fire hazards, and accommodating better lighting and HVAC systems.
- Acoustic tiles and panels: With frequent emergencies coming in and heavy traffic incorporating medical spaces, acoustic ceilings come off as a great help with their enhanced sound absorption features while promising patient safety and privacy, maintaining a calm atmosphere.
- Monolithic Ceilings: Approved by the FGI, monolithic ceilings offer a smooth surface with their continuous and easy to maintain designs that help promote a sterile, infection-free environment while promising better acoustics and visually stunning interiors.
- Modular and Integrated Ceiling Systems: When designing hospital ceilings, it is necessary to prioritise innovative and functional design choices that include easy access to mechanical systems, such as HVAC and lighting. In case of future modifications, these designs come off as flexible and cost-effective, enabling better repair work in healthcare setups.
TRENDING IDEAS FOR HOSPITAL CEILINGS
Since the outbreak of COVID, a growing scrutiny has been placed on healthcare construction and design. As these facilities are meant to promotepatient well-being and optimism, here are a few trends that have gotten popular in terms of ceilings.
- DESIGNS FOR A FLEXIBLE SPACE
Implementing ceilings in hospitals comes with a number of design choices that effortlessly match the facility’s spatial configuration with operational requirements. Assimilating illuminative lighting and design choices like metal ceilings or even bespoke ceilings improves overall aesthetics while promising longevity and easy maintenance.
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- SUSTAINABLE AND DURABLE APPROACH
Facilitating ceilings medical facilities comes with the notion of bringing sustainable solutions that promise durability. Use of materials like plasterboards come with assured lower formaldehyde level, which can greatly enhance the overall patient experience.Â
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- IMPROVING HEALTHCARE WITH ECO-TECH
Ceilings in healthcare can be enhanced with stunning biophilic designs, which significantly helps increase the overall well-being of patients while improving indoor air quality and acoustics. Including technical advancements simultaneously only boosts efficiency and productivity further.
HOW IMPORTANT ARE CEILINGS IN HEALTHCARE?
Despite the constant negligence, hospital ceilings play a crucial part in not just crafting the visual appeal of a medical centre but also significantly impact the overall functionality. By organizing the separation of technical systems, cleaning and management become far more effective while reducing risk factors from potential hazards.
As a trusted name in the pan-Indian space, BSC Interiors understands how flexible ceiling approaches integrated with technical advancements help uplift the overall healthcare landscape.