The Future of Healthcare Design & Construction

The healthcare industry has long used prefabrication to deliver patient room headwalls, toilet rooms and MEP infrastructure for hospital projects with a high volume of repetitive elements. This modular approach improves safety and quality, eliminates waste and reduces project schedules.

At a factory on the Southwest Side of Chicago, Skender blends design, manufacturing and construction to drive innovation and provide modular solutions in healthcare, multifamily and hospitality. Recently, 26 exam rooms shipped from the Skender’s manufacturing floor to an outpatient clinic under construction in the suburbs.

Skender is taking this trend a step further through its advanced manufacturing process and by developing, among other designs focuses, an exam room prototype in collaboration with MillerKnoll, Interior Investments and other industry contributors. The versatile combination of furniture, tech and storage delivers healthcare with added comfort for patients.

With our industry collaborators and informed by nationwide evidence-based design, Skender has created a prototype exam room unit that focuses on the human experience; a modular exam room that aims to boost both patient and family comfort levels, lower anxiety and help build a trusting relationship with the care provider. The resulting exam room feels more like a living room, discreetly integrating technology and flexible furnishings. Instead of a rigid, traditional exam table, a reclining chair better facilitates patient conversations in a more comfortable environment. Casework and other furnishings allow for greater connectivity and less clutter to achieve a more open, welcoming space.

This is an example of how we are bringing the future of healthcare design and construction forward to provide a more relaxed, streamlined experience for both patients and providers.