Texas Children’s Hospital Maternity Center
Jana LeBeau
Facility Planning/HCS446
April 5, 2010
Richard J. Sands, MBA, SSBB, SSLS
Texas Children’s Hospital Maternity Center
Planning and developing a facility takes much time and consideration with regard to regulatory requirements, budgets, planning and development of the actual building and the interior design of the building. Making sure code requirements are met is done usually with the help of the architect and contractor but certain items must be considered during the initial design produced by the stakeholders in the project. Color selections used, which are pleasing physically and psychologically as well as noise reduction must be considered when designing the facility. Equipment and electronic items must be decided upon before building of the facility. Cost estimate and budget planning are the initial steps, which must be looked into before design of the facility. Implementation plan of the design from the initial steps of the idea of the facility through construction of the facility has to be laid-out and charted.
Regulatory Requirements
When designing a facility, whether new or remodel, one must take into consideration all regulatory requirements such as local, state and national code requirements and laws pertaining to buildings, foundations, facility organization and set-up. Accessibility into and throughout the building must comply with the requirements set forth by the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and possibly the Uniform Federal Accessibility Standards (NFAS), if federal funding is involved. The drawings issued for construction are sent to a Registered Accessibility Specialist (RAS) who reviews the project for compliance with regard to accessibility standards. Other compliances, which must be met are those set forth by the city or county such as code designs and standards, which the city, county and state has adopted as guidelines. Such codes and standards are the...