Hurricane Resilient Healthcare
LS3P Associates: Angela Falk, AIA, Joshua Ellison, Adam Heiborn, Angela Douglas, and Matt Barnett, AIA
Environmental excellence in healthcare design means starting with a shift perspective on value. Currently these projects are defined by perceived efficiency of space to lower cost but this results in oppressively dense buildings lacking connection to nature.
Climate change is causing storms to become bigger, stronger and more frequent than ever before. Projects in the healthcare sector are one of the most vulnerable typologies due to the sensitivity of patients, protection, access, and resiliency. This was most evident during hurricane Katrina when half of New Orlean's hospitals went offline. Most recently, when hurricane Florence left Wilmington North Carolina, the city cut off from food, fuel, and medical supplies by floodwaters for over a week. Healthcare and hospital typologies are slow to evolve and this project takes a deep dive into how to create resilient future for hospital architecture.
