The framework conditions for hospital projects are undergoing fundamental change: Technological developments, increasing cost pressures and growing complexity in healthcare delivery are colliding with long-term planning and construction processes. The result is a challenging environment that places new demands on the planning, construction and operation of healthcare facilities – a key conclusion of the industry event “The Next Generation of Healthcare Real Estate”, hosted by planning, consulting and project management company Drees & Sommer in Vienna.
The event focused on the current challenges facing healthcare construction. Representatives from planning, construction and hospital operations discussed how healthcare facilities can be developed to remain future-ready in an increasingly dynamic and uncertain environment. “The challenges facing healthcare construction today can no longer be considered in isolation. It is only through dialogue between planning, construction and operations that we can develop a shared understanding of how healthcare facilities need to function in the future,” explains architect Jürgen Zimmermann of Drees & Sommer SE, organiser of the industry event.
Hospital projects are designed for the long term, yet they operate in an environment where medical technology, processes and healthcare requirements are changing significantly faster than buildings can be delivered. In practice, this means that hospitals are planned based on current requirements but, by the time they become operational, may no longer be optimally aligned with actual needs.
This development is being intensified by several factors at the same time. Demographic change is resulting in an ageing patient population and more complex medical conditions requiring higher levels of care. At the same time, treatment approaches and models of care are evolving, for example through increasingly personalised therapies and the use of robotics and AI in diagnostics and treatment. In parallel, limited budgets are increasing economic pressure, while volatile material and energy prices and shortages of skilled labour are making projects even more difficult to plan reliably. New requirements in public procurement law add another layer of complexity.
The interaction of these factors creates a highly dynamic system in which technological, structural and economic developments occur simultaneously and influence one another. Initial solutions include alternative forms of collaboration, such as the increased use of early contractor involvement models.
One of the key conclusions from the expert discussion was that technology alone does not determine whether innovation will succeed. What matters is how effectively it is integrated into existing structures. Practical examples show that even highly advanced systems fail to deliver added value if they are not embedded in the processes, workflows and spatial conditions of the respective healthcare facility. “Under today’s conditions, hospital projects can only be delivered successfully if planning, construction and operations are considered in an integrated way from the very beginning. This is precisely where our integrated project delivery approach comes in,” emphasises Gerald Herndlhofer, Partner and Managing Director of Drees & Sommer Austria.
This results in clear requirements for the planning and delivery of hospital projects. Buildings need to be designed with flexibility and adaptability in mind so that they can respond to future developments. At the same time, processes and operational requirements need to be considered from the outset, with planning, construction and operations working much more closely together.
“The healthcare facility of the future is therefore no longer a static building, but part of a dynamic system that needs to continuously evolve,” adds Herndlhofer.
For Drees & Sommer, this reinforces a central principle in the development of healthcare real estate: projects need to be approached holistically – from operational requirements and processes through to their physical implementation. Integrated planning and delivery approaches, together with the early involvement of all stakeholders, are essential to meeting the growing demands placed on the planning, construction and operation of healthcare facilities.