As a multi-disciplinary firm, collaboration between different sectors is fundamental to who we are, but also is instrumental in helping us achieve our goals and provide top-tier client service. In the UK and Ireland, ArchTam has adopted the ISO 44001 certification standard and the behaviours described within, as a baseline for all our projects.  This includes collaboration between our internal teams as well as external clients and consultants.

The standard requires organisations to consider all aspects of a potential business relationship, including strengths and weaknesses, the type of support they need to achieve their goals, the levels of risk that each party is willing to take, and the potential consequences of something going wrong. The standard also demands that a plan is put in place to manage each of these elements at the beginning of the relationship, so in the event of one of the aforementioned scenarios occur, there is an agreed process to follow. This improves the level of trust among partners and ensures that the necessary steps are taken to safeguard and improve business relationships.

In 2018, we were asked to help Scottish Water in their quest to become the first water utility in the UK to achieve ISO 44001 certification. We created a relationship management plan and exit strategy which would form the basis of collaboration discussions with partners. First, we assessed Scottish Water’s existing internal procedural documents, including those specific to Alliance Management. These were mapped to the requirements of the standard to demonstrate best practice and that the appropriate considerations were in place. By doing so, we avoided the need to create a suite of new documents and procedures specifically for the certification process, ensuring already embedded processes and best practice were maximised, which also led to significant time and cost savings. The certification was confirmed at the start of 2019 and Scottish Water became the first water utility in the UK to achieve the ISO 44001 certification.

Building upon this success, we continued working with Scottish Water to strengthen their use of ISO 44001 by supporting the certification of its alliance partner Caledonia Water Alliance (CWA), an unincorporated joint venture (JV) between Morrison Utility Services and ArchTam.  The partnership has worked with Scottish Water since 2015, delivering the six year, SR15 Water Infrastructure programme across the whole of Scotland, supporting Scottish Water’s future quality and standards capital investment programme.  The strong partnership was created by a core team from both companies that worked together to create a single entity that could demonstrate not only the values of each parent company but also a unified and coordinated approach to delivering the programme of works.

Operating from a central office north of Glasgow, the JV is working with Scottish Water and its supply chain and stakeholders to deliver optimum project efficiency to maximise cost benefit, while minimising disruption to customers. Throughout the first five years of the programme, CWA has delivered approximately £340 million worth of projects ranging from £50 thousand to £75 million in individual value. Throughout this period, CWA has provided tangible benefits to the client and its customers, which led to the partnership being awarded the SR21 contract for delivery of both the Clean- and Wastewater Infrastructure programme for 2021-2027. CWA’s success has been widely recognised and the project was shortlisted for a Water and Wastewater Treatment (WWT) Water Industry Award 2020 in the Alliancing and Partnership Initiative of the Year category.

Our work with Scottish Water, and as part of CWA, clearly evidences the benefits of driving ISO 44001 through companies and wider supply chains. Enhanced collaboration, which is at the core of our business, is essential to build the trust necessary to create lasting professional relationships. The ability to work together seamlessly and to develop sustainable and trusted relationships is integral to delivering on our core values, and allows us to drive technical, commercial and process innovation to integrate better with those we work alongside.

The post Collaboration takes UK & Ireland businesses to new heights appeared first on Blog.

ArchTam’s partnership with Enviah, a Grand Rapids-based, woman-owned business, has been fostered through a deep rooted and keen understanding of operational system performance models and the complex systems and structures required for this type of project.

Using their evidence led three-dimensional process – Discover, Design and Do – Enviah collaborated with HFMH in the pre-planning stage. The approach was centered around a thorough investigation and understanding of the Henry Ford Macomb Hospital’s existing operational model and how the new building could transform their operations to achieve optimal outcomes. Results were quantified through system measures of efficiencies, including optimal staff productivity as they care for patients, staff engagement and workplace pride, and increased patient satisfaction through a defined experience of care.

“Enviah’s operational focus mirrors our thinking that great healthcare design should be aligned to simplify and organize business operations and then tailored to improve the practitioner and patient experience. It is an absolute honor working with Dr. MacAllister and her teams to help solve our clients’ complex problems and deliver projects that will serve local communities for years to come.” – G. Jerry Attia, ArchTam Michigan’s Vice President and Managing Principal

ArchTam quickly moved forward with incorporating the operational model into a patient floor plan. Our planning and design architects embraced the operational mapping as a strategy for designing a cost-effective, positive care experience, and space that delivered quality, safety and inspiration for staff and patients alike. As our work on the project progressed, Enviah’s proprietary Syntax Mapping System validated that the planning resulted in lower numbers of steps for caregivers, increased visibility on the patients and more intuitive wayfinding for visitors.

A paper doll session at Henry Ford Macomb Hospital

We were pleased to learn that HFMH leadership found that Enviah’s future-focused thinking and research has led to improvements in their approach to the delivery of services and operations.

“ArchTam’s team approaches design from the core of the business operation and cares deeply about the significant investment the client makes when creating new spaces for their businesses. By combining ArchTam’s healthcare design expertise with our operational model and tactical applications and design solutions, our approach not only fully conceives how the building will operate in the future, but also incorporates a real sense of place that complements the local community culture.” – Lorissa MacAllister, PhD, AIA, Enviah’s Founder and President

Soon after completing the pre-planning phase on the HFMH project, and due to the unprecedented challenges healthcare systems faced in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic, Enviah and ArchTam teamed up once more to collaborate on an alternate care facility in Memphis, Tenn.’s former Commercial Appeal building.

The established rapport and technical expertise of the team allowed us to jumpstart our response to the planned 28-day designbuild of a 403-bed COVID-19 response facility in support of a FEMA mission. Enviah created a process map that responded to the staff and patient care workflow and ArchTam married the process map with the initial design plans. Equipped with process mapping and plans, our team collaborated with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and various Tennessee medical professionals for the project.

Our teamed efforts have been most impactful to the communities served, both in Michigan and Memphis. ArchTam and Enviah understand the importance of our contributions to population health through the built environment. When we work together to address the operational and business needs of our clients and then deliver a project that supports and enhances the care of people in the community, our success is measured in contributing to improved healthcare outcomes.

The post Future-Focused, Collaborative Design for Healthcare Facilities appeared first on Blog.