Unlocking Efficiency and Resilience Through Space Optimization
With rising real estate costs, staffing shortages, and increasing patient demand, space optimization has become a top priority for healthcare systems. Every square foot is now expected to work harder— streamlining workflows, accommodating new technologies, and minimizing inefficiencies. When done well, space optimization not only improves daily operations and maximizes the value of existing facilities, it also builds resilience, enabling organizations to adapt to surges or emergencies without compromising quality of care.
Why Every Square Foot Matters
Today’s facilities are being asked to do more than ever—support diverse generational needs, manage longer patient stays, and adapt to shifting care models. Without smarter use of space, organizations risk higher operating costs, longer patient wait times, and limited capacity.
Generational Shifts Reshaping Healthcare
Healthcare facilities now serve six generations, each with unique wellness needs and preferences that must be addressed through more inclusive environments and personalized services.
The Rise of Virtual Care
Virtual care expands access and improves efficiency, but health facilities must now adapt their spaces to accommodate hybrid care models and align their services with patient needs and gaps.
What's At Stake
For patients
• Delays and stress increase
Poorly designed layouts slow patient flow, increase wait times, and add stress during already vulnerable moments.
• Quality of experience diminishes
Inefficient spaces can disrupt communication, delay critical interventions, and increase the likelihood of errors or infection spread.
For caregivers
• Fatigue builds
Extra steps, poor supply access, and workflow inefficiencies add unnecessary strain to already demanding shifts.
• Morale declines
Frustration with space challenges and increased workloads fuels burnout and drives higher turnover.
For organizations
• Costs climb
Inefficient space use drives higher operating expenses and shrinks margins, while redesigns and retrofits strain budgets.
• Productivity suffers
Disjointed workflows reduce throughput, lengthen patient stays, and slow care delivery.
• Resilience weakens
Facilities become less able to adapt to surges, emergencies, or evolving care models.
1. ASPE, Office of Health Policy Research Report, January 2023.
2. Sg2, 2024 Impact of Change Report
3. American Hospital Association, 2025 Cost of Caring Report.
Design Thinking:
Inclusive design that considers multiple generations ensures that every patient can navigate and use spaces comfortably, helping facilities maximize the value of each area while enhancing the overall care experience.
Inclusive design for multigenerational support and access
• Community and social spaces
Provide tech-enabled zones and worksurfaces to support productivity, a mix of private and communal areas to accommodate different social preferences, and varied seating options to ensure comfort and accessibility for all abilities.
Multipurpose and adaptable rooms
Create spaces that can be reconfigured for consultations, family meetings, and group education, with accessible seating and mobile furniture to support diverse patient needs.
Space Considerations
• Biophilic elements to reduce stress
• Settings support interaction or productivity
• Variety of seating to accommodate multiple postures and mobility
Featured Products: Wink, Bourne, Arwyn, Caav, Satisse, Nosh, Forge, Native
Space Considerations
• Multiple zones to accommodate focus or group interaction
• Tables and chairs can be easily rearranged to adapt to changing needs
• Variety of seating to accommodate multiple postures and mobility
Featured Products: Moto, Nosh, Anthology, Arwyn, Poet, Totem, Wink, Bourne, Bryn, Reef
Design Thinking:
Care delivery can evolve quickly, and health spaces must be able to keep pace. By building in flexibility, facilities can handle fluctuating needs for in-person and virtual visits without costly additions.
Adaptive environments for evolving care
Reconfigurable treatment areas
Built for adaptability, modular treatment areas can easily scale or reconfigure to meet shifting care demands, maximizing space, efficiency, and resource use without increasing footprint.
Tele-health-ready spaces
Dedicated pods and hybrid rooms equipped for virtual visits expand access while freeing traditional consult rooms for higher-demand, in-person care.
Space Considerations
• Casegoods offer privacy and support easy space reconfiguration
• Seating area to accommodate familial support
• Residential-inspired finishes, open shelving, and biophilia create a calming feel
Featured Products: Kindera Recliner, BeSPACE Casegoods
Space Considerations
• Mobile elements support easy space reconfiguration
• Height-adjustable elements accommodate a wider variety of users
• Variety of seating to accommodate multiple postures
Featured Products: Proxy Sit-To-Stand, Indie Screen, Lok Table, Moto Lounge, Copilot Table, Vision Table
Design Thinking:
Every square foot counts. Smarter layouts and spacesaving solutions help staff work more effectively while keeping operational costs in check.
Efficiency strategies that maximize footprint
Modular casework systems
Forge casework offers standardized yet flexible storage solutions that support rapid reconfiguration, enhanced organization, and less wasted square footage.
Space-saving layouts
Decentralized, compact work zones minimize walking distance, reduce fatigue, and create more usable care areas.
Space Considerations
• Comfortable seating to support caregivers, patients, and family members
• Patient recliner offers space-saving versatility
• Wall-mounted upper storage maximizes footprint
Featured Products: Forge Casework, Kindera Recliner, Satisse Chairs, Lok Table, Collective Motion Stool
Space Considerations
• Touchdown areas support administrative tasks closer to patients
• Wall-mounted upper storage maximizes footprint
• Ergonomic seating with intuitive controls accommodates a wider variety of users
Featured Products: Forge Casework, Proxy Sit-To-Stand
More Trends & Insights
Explore more insights on the challenges shaping healthcare spaces, with practical design perspectives.
Insight | Healthcare
Caregiver Burnout: Healthcare’s Growing Epidemic
As demand grows and budgets tighten, facilities are under pressure to do more with less. This insight explores how smart spatial strategies—like modular layouts and hybrid zones—can reduce inefficiency, boost flexibility, and help organizations stay resilient without sacrificing care.
Insight | Healthcare
Unprepared for What’s Ahead: Healthcare’s Facility Challenge
Today’s care models require spaces that can flex, scale, and adapt. This insight highlights how healthcare leaders can move beyond traditional planning—using multi-use design, strategic procurement, and integrated solutions to unlock long-term value and stability.