Healthcare Design - October 2018 - 22

BERNETHY'S PASSION for research and data-

driven design began during his studies in
Clemson University's graduate program in
Architecture + Health. And it continues today at ZGF Architects LLP, where he's been
helping drive new design processes and
evidence-based design strategies since joining the firm in 2017. His work spans multiple
project types and scales, from contributing to the Veterans Affairs
design guide to inpatient behavioral health renovations to master planning and programming for a major medical campus. As a
member of the firm's Healthcare Research Initiative, he worked
with a firmwide multidisciplinary team to further develop and
standardize ZGF's pre- and post-occupancy evaluation process
and played a lead role in the development of the firm's Continuous

Scott Abernethy

Virtual reality environment created for Carol Simon
Cancer Center, Morristown, N.J.

AIA, EDAC, LEED AP BD+C, associate |
ZGF Architects LLP, Washington, D.C.

Occupancy Evaluation (COE) template, which is a tool that can
be used to measure ongoing building and occupant performance.
He also serves as D.C. Health Forum chair, where he develops and
disseminates best practices and case studies across the firm to
support design excellence. In addition to his architectural- and
research-based initiatives, he's now involved in firmwide marketing efforts and supporting new business pursuits and interviews,
including proposals for University Health System Women's and
Children's bed tower and two regional cancer centers.

reminds me that architecture isn't about buildings-it's about people. And healthcare architecture is about people at the most vulnerable
times in their lives.
W H A T ' S Y O U R F AV O R I T E D E S I G N
T E C H N O L O G Y T O U S E AT W O R K ?

The 3-D printer. The architectural process demands tools for reiterative problem-solving,
and the printer enables freedom and fluidity
throughout the design process, from concept
development to detailing. German architect
Ole Scheeren said it best: "Adjust during development, develop during adjustment."

H E A L T H C A R E D E S I G N : W H AT D R E W Y O U T O A
CAREER IN HEALTHCARE DESIGN?

Abernethy: I graduated from the University of Colorado at Boulder in 2011 at the bottom of the recession, when unemployment
among architects was the highest of any major. Meanwhile, my
mother had just successfully overcome breast cancer and I wanted to live closer to home in Greenville, S.C. It was then that I discovered the Clemson Architecture + Health program and a passion for the inherent complexities of healthcare design.

W H A T ' S Y O U R F AV O R I T E P L A C E T O
G O F O R I N S P I R AT I O N ?

Nature. The recent trends in biophilia do not go
far enough. Biomimicry has the potential to unlock innovative solutions to design challenges
from more efficient structural systems to passive antiseptic surfaces.

LEARNED THROUGH YOUR WORK.

After helping pursue and win a women's and children's tower expansion, I compiled a benchmarking study of four ZGF projects to
guide discussions and inform decision-making regarding universal patient rooms and their impact on the patient care unit. The
resulting universal patient room options incorporated sustainable design and evidence-based design strategies that became
the framework for schematic design. I love project conception. It

OCTOBER 2018

HCDMAGAZINE.COM

SPOTLIGHT ON

HCD EXPO

The 2018 Rising
Star winners will
be celebrated during the
Healthcare Design magazine
awards luncheon taking place
on Sunday, Nov. 11, at the
HCD Expo in Phoenix. Visit
HCDexpo.com for details.

OCTOBER 2018

ZGF ARCHITECTS

DESCRIBE A RECENT PROJECT AND A LESSON YOU

http://www.HCDexpo.com http://www.HCDexpo.com http://www.HCDMAGAZINE.COM

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Healthcare Design - October 2018