Voluntary Standards for Hospitals

The Canadian Standards Association has introduced a national hospital construction protocol. The Z8000 Health Care Facilities Standard is a comprehensive voluntary standard to address the complex nature of planning, design, and construction of hospitals and health care facilities. This standard set out by the CSA, a membership-based association, addresses concerns specific to health care facilities and beyond what is contained in established building codes and guidelines. It covers essential principles and planning processes for all health care facilities, including inpatient areas, diagnostic and treatment areas, related services within a facility, and technical and support services. It also provides specifications on everything from occupancy issues and furniture to site and facility requirements. This includes measures to improve Infection prevention and control, is a major concern in health care facilities. End users will include architects, designers, consultants, contractors, manufacturers, facility managers and engineers, infection prevention and control professionals, and occupational health and safety teams. Z8000 Health Care Facilities Standard can be purchased online at http://shop.csa.ca or via e-mail at sales@csa.ca. The CSA also provides a complimentary online Information session to help users understand and apply the new standard.

“We’re Building Assembly-Line Cities and Buildings”

Interview with Star Architect Rem Koolhaas

Spiegel Online

December 16, 2011

A man in a dark-green coat flapping in the wind strides through Hamburg’s HafenCity district. He is almost two meters (6′ 6″) tall, wiry, bald and with the face of a bird of prey. From the SPIEGEL building at the eastern entrance to the northern city’s newest district, he heads toward the Elbphilharmonie concert hall being built at the western end of HafenCity. Two assistants and two culture editors are having trouble keeping up as Rem Koolhaas walks and talks nonstop. More…