Take a look inside the new Raslouw Private Hospital
The new Raslouw Private Hospital in Pretoria has opened. With 100 beds, including 10 adult ICU beds and four neo-natal ICU beds, the hospital also has a dedicated maternity unit complete, with two delivery rooms. The unit is directly connected to the neo-natal ICU. The hospital has a paediatric unit, a 24-hour emergency unit, radiology unit and pharmacy. Its theatre complex offers three theatres, a catheterisation laboratory (aka cath lab) and space for a second cath lab. On the first floor, there are 17 doctor suites, two laboratories and a coffee shop. The hospital also provides free and safe parking.
We spoke to Ignatius Maree from VDO Architects (Pty) Ltd, who was the project architect for the Raslouw Private Hospital, to find out more about what goes into designing a hospital, and why PG Bison’s products are suitable for healthcare applications.
How did your firm get involved with the project?
As VDO Architects, we are well known in the hospital design sphere. We do projects for various clients. This particular project went through many phases, including different sites and different clients. We were very blessed to complete this project in the end for a new client.
What, for you, were the most exciting aspects of the project?
Hospital design is always exciting. There are so many facets to hospital design that you never stop learning. It also provides opportunities to always try and better the healthcare experience. Ultimately, it’s how the building, and thus the design, will serve the staff to create an environment for healing.
What were the most challenging parts of the project?
The most challenging part is always the budget. How do you provide a building of a high design standard, with quality finishes within the budget? This is especially true in hospital design with so many services that forms part of a hospital. Another challenging aspect is to get all these services coordinated to work together to provide the patient care required.
When it comes to designing and building a hospital, what are some of the specific considerations that are different to other types of buildings?
In a hospital you have many different flow patterns that must work together. The most important is obviously the patients, but in serving these patients there are doctors, nursing staff, administration staff, cleaning staff and external services (such as radiology and labs), and also the public visiting.
Add to that the flow of equipment, beds, general and medical waste, etc. and you can understand that if the flow is not designed correctly, the most aesthetically pleasing building will not be functional.
The placement of service areas is also very important as all the services, like electrical, mechanical, medical gas, nurse call, etc. must work together primarily for patient care.
Although natural light is important in all buildings, it is even more so for patient care and recovery, and so we also use landscaping to achieve this.
The finishes of a hospital must also be of a high standard, giving the nursing staff the space to work and patients the assurance that they are in good hands.
Why did you choose to specify PG Bison products for this project, and what guided your choices in terms of design?
First and foremost, any product we choose is for its quality and durability, especially in a hospital environment. We feel that PG Bison products provide this.
The second consideration was the range of colours and finishes. As a hospital has many different areas, such as wards, ICUs, theatres, radiology, reception, etc., it is important to differentiate between these areas not only through the design but also the finishes. The range provided by PG Bison product gives a designer that flexibility.
PG Bison products used
Jason Wells, Brand and Marketing Manager at PG Bison, says hospitals and healthcare facilities have to balance aesthetics with safety and durability (as well as cost) when selecting materials. “Infection control is a priority for all healthcare facilities, which means that selecting surface materials – such as boards for cabinets or materials for countertops – must take into consideration how susceptible they are to housing bacteria,” he says.
This is one of the reasons PG Bison’s products like MelaWood and Formica LifeSeal Worktops are an ideal choice for hospital applications. The manufacturing process for both products produces a closed surface, meaning there are no microscopic pores that can harbour bacteria. This makes them hygienic and easy to clean, critical for surfaces in healthcare facilities.
