| TheHealthcareFacilitiesPlanningandDesignConference,whichtookplaceinSingaporeandheldbetweenDecember16ththrough18th,wasorganizedbytheSingaporeInstituteofArchitects,andsupportedbyinstitutionsincludingIESingapore,Singapore’sNationalHealthcareGroup,Singhealth,NationalUniversityofSingaporeandtheSingaporeExhibitionandConventionBureau.Themainpurposeoftheconferencewastobringtogetherarchitects,planners,designers,institutions,academiaandindustryinthehealthcareservicessectorintheregion,andtoprovideanopportunityforstimulatingdiscussions,sharingandexchanginginformationandnetworkingamongtheseprofessionals.Thetopicscoveredduringthethree-dayeventincludeddiscussionsonthelatesttrendsinhealthcaredesignsandmanagementintheregion,challengesandconstraintsencounteredindesigninghealthcareinstitutions,climateandenvironmentalconsiderationsinhealthcarearchitecture,andopportunitiesinhealthcareplanninganddevelopmentinAsia.Theconferenceendedwithahalf-daytourofachoiceofhealthcarefacilitiesinSingapore.SincetheHsinchuBiomedicalScienceParkwillbeestablishedwithamedicalcenteratthecore,wefoundtheconferencetobeveryrelevant,informative,andinspiring.Ofcourse,meetingwithotherconferencedelegates,manyofwhomareprominentleadersandbusinessprofessionalsinthehealthcarefieldinAsiawasalsoaninvaluableexperienceforusasmembersoftheHBSPpreparatoryteam.Itisimportantbothforustomeetwithothersintheindustry,aswellasfortheseprofessionalstohavethechancetogettoknowwhattheHBSPisallabout.TheconferenceinSingaporecreatedtheperfectsituationtodoso.Therewerefourmajorareasofdiscussioncoveredattheconference,namely:(1)DesigningFacilitiesforSARSandInfectiousDiseases;(2)HealthSystems;(3)TotalBuildingPerformance;and(4)HospitalsoftheFuture.Wefocusedonattendingthelecturespertainingtothelattertwotopics,sincethemedicalcenterwillbeacrucial,ifnotthemajorcomponentwithintheHsinchuBiomedicalSciencePark.Inessence,planninganddesignaretheimposingofpresentlyheldvaluesonthefuture,withthehopeofcreatingafuturesettinginwhichthosevaluesmayberealized. |