What’s knowledge without action?
In the first two parts of this series, I introduced the importance of data in ambulatory surgery center design and explored which types of data sets can inform decisions - patient flow, staff efficiency, regulations etc. In the third installment, I shift the focus to real-world applications that demonstrate how data is being leveraged to guide healthcare design. By doing so, we aim to learn more from precedent while also exploring opportunities for cross-disciplinary collaboration and enhance design quality and streamline the overall design process.
Collaborating with Healthcare Equipment Planners - Featuring Grant Luke
In a recent virtual conversation, I had the opportunity to speak with Grant Luke, who's medical equipment planning team at CapExpert is revolutionizing planning through a data-driven approach. Grant works with physicians to understand procedural needs and then cross-references those with critical manufacturer data including lead times, shipping delays, warranties, and maintenance schedules to recommend equipment that is both operationally feasible and financially sound.
We identified a powerful collaboration opportunity that Grant’s team is now exploring: the seamless integration of architectural data with equipment planning. By providing detailed room typologies (such as sterilization or procedure rooms), including clearance requirements and code constraints, architects empower Grant's team to optimize equipment placement at the schematic design phase. This proactive approach drastically reduces costly rework, streamlines utility planning, and ensures seamless regulatory compliance.
This collaboration also enables smarter infrastructure decisions. For instance, if Grant flags a specific imaging system that requires heavier structural support or longer electrical lead times, the architect can make those provisions during schematic design, preventing costly last-minute scrambles during procurement.
Ultimately, this partnership allows architects and equipment planners to create synchronized BIM mock-ups, simulate clinical workflows in VR, and perfectly align procurement timelines with construction schedules, delivering a more efficient and cost-effective project from start to finish.
Execution in Industry: Data-Driven Healthcare Design
In the healthcare design industry, data-driven methodologies are increasingly being used to transform how facilities are planned, tested, and refined before construction. Design teams are integrating tools such as simulation modeling, artificial intelligence, and sensor-based analytics to guide evidence-based decisions that improve operational efficiency and patient outcomes.
One example involved using simulation software to model the internal movement patterns of staff, patients, and equipment within a large medical center. By analyzing data on how nurses moved between stations and patient rooms, the team uncovered inefficiencies that resulted in significant lost time each day. These insights informed reconfigured floor layouts with decentralized nursing pods, improved sightlines, and reduced walking distances. Environmental factors such as light and acoustics were also optimized using quantitative analysis, resulting in spaces that support both patient recovery and staff well-being.
Another example highlights the use of AI, machine learning, and IoT sensor systems to understand how clinical spaces function in real time. Data collected over weeks revealed patterns of underused consultation rooms and congested corridors near lab services. By visualizing and interpreting this information through analytics platforms, design teams were able to reallocate space, adjust adjacencies, and introduce flexible work zones, all before construction began.
Conclusion
By partnering across disciplines, we are building with intent, evidence, and outcomes in mind. Whether it is predicting spatial needs, enhancing infection control, streamlining workflows, or informing equipment decisions, the use of data ensures that facilities serve their people, purpose, and future.