Healthcare Design - November 2019 - 62

BRIAN GIEBINK began working for HDR
shortly after graduating from the University of Kansas, later relocating to Minnesota
to work specifically in healthcare. There, he
had the opportunity to become involved in
several significant behavioral health projects across North America. While working
on these projects, Giebink discovered the intricacies and challenges related to designing
therapeutic, safe, and restorative behavioral
health environments, which inspired him to
focus his energy on behavioral health design
and planning. Currently, he leads the behavioral health design studio at HDR and shares
his knowledge through various conferences
and events.
Spero Academy,
Minneapolis

H E A L T H C A R E D E S I G N : W H AT
DREW YOU TO A CAREER IN
HEALTHCARE DESIGN?

Brian Giebink
AIA, EDAC, LEED AP
BD+C, architect,
behavioral health
planner, HDR
(Minneapolis)

Giebink: I had an internship with a design
firm while an undergrad that introduced me
to the idea of healthcare design. The experience inspired me to enroll in the University of
Kansas Health and Wellness Design program.
There, I learned about the complex nature
of healthcare facilities and the opportunity
within healthcare design to make a positive
and lasting impact on people's lives. Working
alongside some of the world's best healthcare
architects and designers at HDR early in my
career sealed the deal, and now I can see the
impact our design work has every day.

is the number one issue facing the healthcare
industry right now. In almost all of the projects
I've worked on lately, there's an underlying
issue of access to care that these new projects
are trying to address. The challenge is that the
gaps in care are so large and profit margins so
slim that even the most thoughtful solutions,
while significantly improving quality and
access, are only filling a small part of the
larger gaps in our communities. Because of
limited or no access to appropriate care in
many communities, people with mental and
behavioral health disorders receive care in
settings that are ill-equipped or inappropriate
for their specific health needs.
W H A T ' S O N E I D E A Y O U H AV E F O R

W H AT ' S

ONE

RECENT

PROJECT

T H AT Y O U ' R E M O S T P R O U D O F ?

Some of the most rewarding work is when
my background in behavioral health design
has an influence on spaces outside of the traditional healthcare setting. One example is a
new K-6 school we designed for Spero Academy in Minneapolis that excels in providing
special education services to children with
autism and other learning disabilities. As the
lead design architect, I worked closely with
our design team, Spero Academy, and the
contractor to ensure the building was safe,
durable, comfortable, and inclusive for the
student population. The success we've seen
at Spero Academy perfectly illustrates why
we need to be mindful of all abilities and disabilities in every space we design.
W H AT D O Y O U T H I N K I S T H E

O V E R C O M I N G T H AT P R O B L E M ?

Specifically related to behavioral healthcare,
the number of people suffering from untreated
mental health and substance abuse disorders
is daunting because of a lack of access to both
care and proper facilities. We need to align the
right teams of stakeholders, influencers, and
decision-makers to work together to develop
solutions in every community that will fill
gaps in the continuum of care. Depending on
need, this could mean an entire campus or a
single building that integrates components of
housing, education, community engagement,
medical and behavioral healthcare, and longterm care. While we've seen a few communities
around the country start to do this, we need to
expand on what has been done to build a model
that's repeatable, adaptable, and affordable so
every community can provide access to the full
continuum of care.

HEALTHCARE DESIGN INDUSTRY
IN 2019?

From a behavioral health perspective, I think
access to quality, timely, and appropriate care

62

NOVEMBER 2019

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Healthcare Design - November 2019

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