Justice Architecture - Royal Architectural Institute of Canada

DEsigning better healthcare
Healthcare design
can improve patient
outcomes
By Peter Kenter | Photos By Greg Paupst
The pursuit of better healthcare and better
healthcare design at lower cost per capita was the
theme of the 2013 International Union of Architects/
Public Health Group (UIA/PHG) Forum and Global
University Programs in Healthcare Architecture
(GUPHA) Meeting, held September 24-28 in
Toronto. Presented by RAIC | Architecture Canada,
in collaboration with the Interior Designers of
Canada, the event represented a distinct program
integrated within the program of the International
Interior Design Exposition (IIDEX) 2013.
www.raic.org / 2014
The event was chaired by Clifford Harvey, MRAIC, Senior Architect for the
Ontario Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care (MOH) and Professor George J.
Mann, AIA, Texas A&M University, President of GUPHA and Director UIA/PHG.
Harvey says his involvement as co-chair began with a personal professional
drive to access international research into best practices that would assist
him in providing informed investment advice on capital projects to the MOH.
“Last January, I contacted the UIA/PHG to see if I could attend their session
in Oslo, Norway and in that discussion they expressed an interest in coming
to Canada,” says Harvey. “I approached the RAIC with a proposal for hosting
this event in its joint venture with IIDEX and they accepted.”
Collaboration with IIDEX would be critical to the staging of the event, to
leverage the organizers’ expertise in conference registration and event planning.
While Harvey attended the Oslo event in a professional capacity, entirely
apart from his duties with the MOH, he notes that the ministry actively encouraged
his involvement in planning and chairing the current conference.
Harvey and Mann advertised an open call for papers in May and established
a committee representing architects, interior designers and some suppliers
interested in healthcare. Papers were rated and selected according to a matrix
developed by the group. All UIA members and RAIC members, who are automatically
registered as UIA members, were offered the opportunity to present.
8 ■ Architecture Canada