Architectural design criteria for infection control in hospitals during construction and development

Abstract

Hospitals are the type of buildings which need development and expansion continuously so it can achieve all the demands of the progress in the medical field, medical devices, and the updates in the infrastructure of the hospitals. Due to the spread of many bacteria that are related to the construction and development process, many countries had to take into considerations many strict precautions to reduce the danger of the infection spread. These precautions are important either inside the building of the hospital or outside, so the maximum reduction of infection spread should be reached as there are many patients suffer from lack of immunity. This research aims to reach a rational design criterion for hospital designers which gains the required demands to combat the infection spread during construction and development process meanwhile continuing to present the medical services. It is strongly recommended to introduce flexible structural module that can be reused in different activities. Also, isolation of patient’s spaces during construction becomes a mandatory manner. Moreover, it is advised to design an adaptable ventilation system which facilitates different sectors separation, either patient, medical stuff, or workers paths.