Working hard to be a healthcare construction company that helps build better healthcare, we often focus on what new medical facility construction or building improvements take place on the actual campuses of the hospitals for which we build.
Of course, we think about the big details (like how we can design for better patient flow) all the way down to the smaller details (like the proper way to design a waiting room). But what about the off-campus details for building better health? What can we do as communities to better design our buildings and public spaces to give ourselves the best possible chance for success?
An article from GOOD that we recently stumbled upon got us to start thinking about just this. It encouraged us to take a step back to think about better healthcare construction (in a literal sense) by looking at the effects of our non-healthcare construction (not just at The Korte Company, but in our society as a whole) and how that can make us all healthier.
While the mentioned article references childhood obesity, we at The Korte Company know that it’s relevant to everyone. We can all help cities be less obese and healthier, they just need the right amount of nature in the them.
Perhaps a walk in the park is just what the doctor ordered. The problem is, there has to be a park in which to walk. There has to be a neighborhood that is safe for outdoor activity. There have to be buildings that encourage foot and bike commuting (which can actually score you some LEED points as well).
The good news is, we can all work to be a part of the solution and it even appears that this is what most of us want. We certainly do. And you can bet we’ll be building smart to do just that.
