As architects continue to design the buildings which we use on a daily basis, we continue to explore what is important to the success of operations for our clients and the opportunities that exist through the evolving integration of technology into design.

The COVID-19 crisis over the past year has created an immediate mandate for change in operations and change in technology in our day to day life.

Technology to inhibit airborne pathogens, technology to test people’s health, technology to minimize personal interaction and simultaneously augment the flow of information which already existed, instantly became a mandatory part of our daily routines allowing us to continue to function and work safely.

The opportunities of technology and simulation have not been lost on the academic community. The necessity to distance human interaction has not diminished the teaching requirements of all students in the medical field; be they doctors, nurses, assistants, or caregivers.

Simulation hospitals and simulation schools are education centers for simulation immersion. In the medical field, simulation teaching facilities can replicate any medical facility and mannequins can simulate many of the symptoms healthcare providers need to identify and treat patients. New medical simulation centers will be able to replicate any patient environment across the life span continuum. Facilities can resemble a real hospital, outpatient clinic, or home environment. The simulation activities combine classroom teaching with hands on experience. Working with simulation mannequins provides critical thinking lessons to students and uses the mistakes which occur during simulation as a teaching opportunity.

Simulation facilities exist, but interest in improving and expanding these facilities is growing. The rapidly changing technology and programs allow improved training and create the complete environment of care which concludes the simulation and immersion process.

Simulation started with portable mannequins which could be delivered to any classroom and thereby enhance the teaching experience. Now, the simulation process can be so sophisticated as to simulate a patient medical crisis, a power failure, or a gas cutoff, in the middle of a simulated procedure to watch the student act under pressure. The medical mannequins are so lifelike that they can cry, bleed, sweat or even deliver a baby! They accurately display the symptoms of the disease programmed by the administrator presenting the lesson of the day.

Debriefing rooms become a critical component of the design of simulation centers as the feedback from a simulated medical encounter provides immediate feedback to the student. The student then has an opportunity to go back and practice again. The simulation activity also helps build team camaraderie and a collaborative work ethic.

The desire to place simulation mannequins in accurately designed medical spaces is to allow the student to suspend disbelief during a simulation and get the feel of the size and tightness of a real life medical space in which multiple clinicians or teams arrive to help in an emergency such as a cardiac arrest. Simulation centers are also excellent tools for administrators to learn about processes, activities, and hospital systems.

The direction of teaching will include more and more integrated education in the years to come. The demand for simulation centers will increase. It is imperative that designers be knowledgeable with regard to medical and teaching environments as the two fields merge together.