Cover Healthcare In Laminate

age. With more individuals suffering from serious physical limitations, it is becoming critical that healthcare facilities are designed to be accessible for all.

Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) regulations set forth strict accessibility requirements for public buildings, encompassing everything from doorways and walkways to restrooms. When specifying for new or retrofi tted spaces today, it’s smart to go beyond these requirements and incorporate the principles of universal design. Instead of offering specialized products that segregate users who may perform activities differently, universal design allows individuals of all abilities to use the same product, thus streamlining spaces, especially smaller ones such as restrooms.

Consider the seven key principles of accessible design when specifying fi xtures: • Equitable use. The design is useful and marketable to people with diverse abilities. • Flexibility in use. It accommodates a wide range of preferences and abilities. • Simplicity and intuition. The design is easy to understand, regardless of the user’s experience, knowledge, or skills. • Perceptible information. Necessary information is communicated to the user, regardless of sensory limitations. • Tolerance for error. The design minimizes hazards, accidents, or unintended actions. • Little physical effort. It can be used with minimal effort. • Size and space for approach and use. Regardless of the user’s stature and mobility, the design is appropriate for approach, reach, manipulation, and use.

The space with the most accessibility-related dangers is the restroom. Incorporating ADA requirements and the principles of universal design ensures that a facility is safe for all who use it. When creating an accessible restroom, mount bathroom sinks no higher than 34 inches above the fl oor, with knee clearance that is 27 inches high, 30 inches wide, and 19 inches deep. Clear fl oor space and insulated pipes are also a must.

Bathroom faucets should be lever-operated, push-type, touch-type, or sensor-operated and usable with one hand without the need for grasping, pinching, or twisting the wrist, or for use of force greater than fi ve pounds. In the stall, fl ush valves, like faucets, should require no tight grasping, pinching, or twisting of the wrist. Toilets should measure 17 to 19 inches from the top of the toilet seat to the fl oor to provide a comfortable sitting position for all users. If the facility has a shower, incorporate easily movable shower controls and a hose that’s at least 60 inches long.

Grab bars are a great way to assist with movement within a bathroom stall or shower. However, they must withstand at least 250 pounds of weight for optimum safety.

Oversized lever handles are much easier to operate for patients with limited dexterity. An added bonus is clear identifi cation of the hot- and cold-water controls, designed to prevent accidental burns.

Additional accessibility considerations include increasing lighting; widening walkways and doorways; incorporating objects that are wide, long, and have a fl at grasping shape; and providing adequate support systems and barriers to create a safe and accommodating facility.

4. Functionality and reliability

Most healthcare facilities span several thousand square feet. Servicing such a large area requires selection of reliable plumbing fi xtures that will reduce operational problems and increase overall performance. Specifi ers must select products that are easy to maintain in order to sustain a high level of performance for even the busiest restrooms. Models that can be serviced above the deck provide additional fl exibility and greatly simplify installation and maintenance.

Proper lifecycle planning helps facility managers avoid incurring additional and often unforeseen expenses on their maintenance budgets. Therefore, select fi xtures that feature exceptional warranties and require minimal maintenance. Specify products in high-traffi c environments that can withstand the constant use—and occasional misuse—such as the M•Dura heavy-duty manual fl ush valves from Moen Commercial, North Olmsted, OH. Virtually maintenance-free, the solid-brass construction offers long-term durability and a solid return-on-investment. The valve’s piston technology works at water pressures as low as 15 psi, so fl uctuations won’t cause malfunctions that can lead to costly repairs. With premium sealing, the technology delivers precise fl ush volume over its entire lifecycle. A stainless-steel, self-cleaning fi lter protects the piston from clogs and damage from line debris. Also available is a bedpan-washer model that provides a better, more ergonomic solution for healthcare applications than most currently available products. It features robust bearing washers in addition to double O-ring seals that protect against leaks and facilitate arm movement.

Installing the wrong products can bring headaches. Major causes for concern could range from parts and service issues with manufacturers to malfunctions and vandal resistance to pressure variances and hard water. By thoroughly researching a manufacturer’s portfolio of products, it’s easier to successfully create a highperforming restroom environment that will keep fi xtures operational with minimal maintenance.

5. Aesthetics

Creating an atmosphere that is comfortable and reminiscent of home is a helpful step in the recovery process. Regardless of the space—a waiting area, patient room, or restroom—make sure it’s just as serene as it is hygienic when selecting fi xtures and materials. Incorporating muted colors, decorative fi nishes, and a mixture of soft and natural lighting contributes to a more peaceful and home-like environment, which is desired by patients and visitors.

For example, serenity is a key design theme of the Cleveland-based Sydell & Arnold Miller Family Pavilion, home of Cleveland Clinic’s Heart and Cardiovascular Institute. Each patient bathroom has elements that feel more like a master bath than a public restroom: gray mosaic-tile fl oors and white tile walls, plus personal touches for each patient such as individual shower caddies and soap dispensers.

Faucets and showerheads should be pleasing to the eye and deliver the same delightful experience as they do in a residential setting. The difference is truly in the details, including the fi nish options selected for restrooms. Chrome is no longer the only option fi t for use in commercial facilities. Brushed nickel is now available on a number of plumbing products, including faucets and showerheads. It’s a perfect match with stainless-steel accessories commonly found throughout these spaces, and the fi nish is designed specifi cally for high-traffi c commercial facilities. These new options will help create a modern, upscale appearance, especially in convalescence applications.

By considering these fi ve important factors, the resulting restroom spaces will be environmentally friendly, hygienic, accessible, reliable, and stylish.

Kristin Meyers is marketing and product manager for Moen Commercial, North Olmsted, OH.

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THE HEALTHCARE ENVIRONMENT IS GROWING IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION.

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A sophisticated, warm color palette and sleek surfaces featuring Prestige Walnut Fossil Formica laminate make this hospital lobby look more like that of a high-end hotel. Designs: Gould Turner Group, Nashville, TN.

Photos: Doug Handel Photography, Dallas.

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A sculpted fi nish adds unexpected texture to Formica’s Fossil laminate.

Cover Healthcare In Laminate

Advanced technologies and manufacturing processes have made laminate surfaces an excellent choice for healthcare environments.

Laminate has been one of the most relevant and prevalent surfacing materials in commercial design for many decades. The qualities that have made this tried-and-true interior surface a mainstay in today’s hospitals, physician’s offi ces, clinics, and nursing homes continue to appeal to healthcare designers, facility administrators, and end-users. Healthcare designers are often faced with confl icting objectives: • Design a beautiful, calming space for healing. • Specify products that can withstand the abuse of the healthcare environment. Laminate meets those criteria as one of the most durable and low-maintenance surfacing materials on the market. It stands up to everyday wear and tear—an important requisite since healthcare interiors are expected to last for decades. Laminate requires no upkeep, and its hard, non-porous surface is anti-microbial. Laminate’s wipe-clean quality contributes to the germfree environments that is critical in everything from an operating room to a doctor’s offi ce. For the most challenging surfaces—those exposed to chemicals, abrasive materials, and other surface stresses—chemical-resistant specialty laminates are in order. With extra surface protection, achieved with a special integrated

A labor-and-delivery room’s color scheme and custom furnishings provide a home-like atmosphere as well as soothing, natural colors. Laminates used on the casework, doors, and surfaces include Prestige Walnut Fossil and Travertine.

coating, laminates can resist harsh acids, alkalis, corrosive salts, and other destructive or staining substances. These specialty laminates double up on performance, yet still deliver well-designed interiors that evoke a comforting atmosphere for patient care.

Other laminate surfaces can withstand high humidity and high impact. This high-pressure structural laminate is built up from multiple layers of kraft paper to produce a thick laminate that offers a decorative face on both sides. The material is trong and damage-resistant and has remarkable structural stability and requires no substrate support.

While this specialty laminate is available in a wide selection of solid, wood-grain, and patterned designs to align with a designer’s desired aesthetic, it also is an ideal material for areas of a healthcare facility that are not patient-facing. These spaces—whether a lab, cafeteria, or central-supply room where equipment is sterilized— often demand moisture-resistant, heavy-duty structural laminate.

Comfort and the healing process

Healthcare designers are sparking a renaissance in interiors as they move away from traditional clinical designs to give patients a home away from home or even a relaxing, spa-like atmosphere. Many of today’s patient rooms are incorporating furniture and custom millwork, which often uses laminate to achieve a clean, modern look.

With hundreds of color and pattern choices and its chameleon-like ability to mimic just about any kind of surface, laminate has an uncanny ability to meet nearly any design challenge and budget.

Laminate’s foundation lies in a melamine

A playroom on the pediatric fl oor has fanciful, three-dimensional wall art that coordinates with the custom furniture. Formica laminates include Tangelo Halftone, Citrus Halftone, Blueberry Halftone, and Mint Dotscreen.

impregnated printed sheet, giving the surfacing material truly unlimited design potential. That printed sheet is combined with phenolic-treated kraft paper and consolidated in a press at high pressures.

When Nashville-based Gould Turner Groups started a $47-million new-construction and renovation project at West Houston Medical Center in Houston, designers specifi ed signifi cant amounts of laminate for the lobby, doors, nurses’ stations, casework, and countertops.

“The main goal of this project was to provide a durable, timeless, and welcoming environment with a contemporary edge to show the use of technology in today’s healthcare environment,” said Tiana Lemmons, director of design at Gould Turner Group.

The project required that the new fi nishes merge with existing building standards and fi nishes, so designers were challenged to bridge the gap with up-to-date colors and materials that project a more contemporary and high-tech feel to the space.

“The use of Formica-brand laminates helped us bring a warm, rich feel to the space,” Lemmons explained. “The rich tone of color contrasting with the soft tans and sage greens in the project helped to bring the space to life. It also