Remodeling healthcare facilities under limitations

Abstract

In 2006 the Venezuelan government launched a healthcare initiative named “Barrio Adentro III”. This program manages the renovation of existing hospitals, including implementing new technologies and building additions to meet new requirements. Priority areas to be updated included surgery suites, emergency departments and intensive care units (adults, pediatrics, neonatal) among others. Emergency rooms are being remodeled to adapt into current protocols of medical attention and to the growing demand caused by the increase in criminality, car accidents and the deterioration of quality of life. This paper analyzes the design, project management and construction of the renovation of the emergency department and surgery suite of an old and obsolete healthcare facility. This facility of high complexity holds a School of Medicine and has high demand because it is located in the center of the Metropolitan area of Caracas. The design, with an area of 3.000 m2, has strong limitations including security, site and surrounding location. This paper describes the diversity of the space use, distribution, density, proportions and equipping. Separation of internal traffic, and functional areas according to pathologies and critical stages, also are described.