Project Overview
The SimTigrate Design Lab is an interdisciplinary research lab at Georgia Tech that studies the impact of the built environment on healthcare outcomes. They have constructed a modular simulator that allows them to configure physical spaces in their lab which replicate hospital environments. This tool allows them to measure the effects of different spatial design characteristics, such as lighting and viewing angles, on the healthcare outcomes for patients.
SimTigrate partnered with my Graduate Design Studio, and asked us to consult on ways they could more effectively engage with industry clients. We performed a literature review on the use of simulators in healthcare, interviewed stakeholders, created a service design blueprint, and built physical models to rapidly explore spatial presentation. Our research revealed that most efforts to model healthcare environments only occur as a final checkpoint to confirm design decisions before moving forward into final construction.
This severely reduces the benefits that simulation and modeling can have on the design process. There are many generative and exploratory activities that be use the simulated space to set greater context for the design. Moving modeling and simulation further up in the design process can help healthcare professionals make more informed decisions and create greater engagement with the lab. We therefore recommended expanding the services that SimTigrate offered their clients.
SimTigrate partnered with my Graduate Design Studio, and asked us to consult on ways they could more effectively engage with industry clients. We performed a literature review on the use of simulators in healthcare, interviewed stakeholders, created a service design blueprint, and built physical models to rapidly explore spatial presentation. Our research revealed that most efforts to model healthcare environments only occur as a final checkpoint to confirm design decisions before moving forward into final construction.
This severely reduces the benefits that simulation and modeling can have on the design process. There are many generative and exploratory activities that be use the simulated space to set greater context for the design. Moving modeling and simulation further up in the design process can help healthcare professionals make more informed decisions and create greater engagement with the lab. We therefore recommended expanding the services that SimTigrate offered their clients.
Project Team: Shaungxin Chen, Sarah Marie Maddox, Dillon Mertens, Yao Sun, Shawn Wu, Emily Hallam
Header Image: https://arch.gatech.edu/simtigrate-design-lab
Header Image: https://arch.gatech.edu/simtigrate-design-lab