While all construction is different, some types of construction have enough similarities between them that expertise in one field is easily transferable to another. This is, however, definitely not the case when it comes to medical construction.
Designing and building medical offices, clinics, and other spaces is a world all its own within construction, and there’s a reason why it’s so beneficial to find highly experienced contractors when you’re planning a medical building project. Even as someone who works in medicine, there are important aspects to medical infrastructure that you may just not know about! However, here at DESCCO Design and Construction, we know the little details inside and out, and we’re ready to provide you with a turnkey solution and support from start to finish that will result in a great finished product! Let the DESCCO team be your first call to help you build a medical space you’ll love. Here are some must-haves that we always strongly recommend for our medical building projects.
Cost-Effective Designs
Budget is something that we take very seriously at DESCCO Design and Construction, because we know how valuable both your space and your hard-earned money are to you! Some methods of designing a space and materials that can be chosen are more cost-effective than others, offering you quality for less. When you start the very first stages of your project with a trustworthy contractor and architect that you can rely on to guide you towards these options, it’s far easier to stay on budget for an important project like a medical office!
Cleanable Surfaces
Medicine is an industry that appears clean and sterile to the inquiring eye, but that’s only because it has the potential to be so messy! As a doctor, nurse, or other practitioner, you surely don’t need to be reminded how many messes you can have to deal with on any given day, and how important cleanliness is in your line of work in order to keep everyone safe. When it comes to choosing materials for your new space, some options can end up coming back around to bite the unsuspecting project manager later on, like porous counter surfaces that are impossible to fully sterilize, or stain-prone carpets in hallways or waiting rooms that take far too much effort to keep looking and smelling neat and clean. An experienced contractor like DESCCO can guide you away from these options and towards more durable, practical ones that will serve you better when your office or other medical space is actually in use.
Sound Control
Sound control is something that’s often overlooked in medical construction, even by some professional engineers and builders. When you’re staring at the bones of what will become your new office or clinic, you’re not often thinking about how busy or noisy it will get when it’s full of patients and team members. However, noisy is exactly what it will be, and a space that encourages echoes and traveling sound will work to your detriment in more ways than one. Imagine a patient trying to get an important diagnosis while being distracted by the sound of a receptionist on the phone, or a child that is made nervous and uncooperative by the sound of another child crying in an exam room down the hall. Proper sound control in medical construction is often one of the keys to creating a space where you and your team members can actually get things done!
Fire-Smart Construction
As a medical professional, you’re certainly familiar with the concept of reducing risk, and it applies to the world of construction as well! An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of the cure, and this is never more true when it comes to fire safety. Fires can strike anywhere or anytime, including in medical facilities, but if your space is designed with fire safety principles in mind, like specialized floorplans with exit strategies, well-placed emergency equipment, and fire-retardant materials, you can mitigate the effects of a fire in your office and clinic before one even starts, protecting yourself, your staff, and all of your patients.
There are many other important aspects to consider when you’re planning a medical construction project, like safety compliance, energy-efficient construction, and much more. If you feel overwhelmed and like you can’t possibly keep all of this information in your head, don’t worry! With a design-build contractor like DESCCO, we have the expertise we need, and we’re ready to be your partner through the entire process of creating a great space to practice medicine in! For more information, you can contact us today to discuss your upcoming project!