Marberry: AI in healthcare facility planning and design: What you should know
By Sara Marberry — I’ve been having a lot of conversations with people about AI recently. Love it or hate it, AI is here to stay and will only grow in importance in our daily lives.
AI isn’t perfect.
It sometimes messes things up. Its ability to generate highly realistic deepfake videos and images is very disturbing. And some think AI could surpass human intelligence and take over the world.
But AI isn’t inherently good or evil — it’s all about how we use it.
AI in healthcare
In healthcare, AI is already impacting patient care, staff productivity, and facility design.
AI-powered imaging tools can detect anomalies like cancer, fractures, or infections faster and with higher accuracy than traditional methods. It also scrutinizes patient data, genetics, and past medical history to tailor treatments specific to individual needs.
And there’s more.
AI models can analyze trends and identify individuals at risk of diseases like heart disease or diabetes before symptoms appear, enabling early interventions. AI-powered virtual assistants and chatbots are able to provide 24/7 patient support, answer medical queries, schedule appointments, and even help monitor chronic conditions remotely.
By reducing administrative burdens and optimizing workflows, AI is also reducing time spent on things like paperwork and data entry, allowing staff to focus more on patient care.
AI in healthcare facility planning and design
A recent paper published by the American College of Healthcare Architects offers a great overview of AI in healthcare facility planning and design, with 10 conclusions and predictions at the end. Some that stood out for me are:
- Data-driven design: AI’s ability to collect data in a number of different areas. such as outpatient care and customer preferences, will inform new and flexible facility design solutions.
- Efficiency and workflow optimization: By streamlining administrative tasks, AI will free up time for healthcare professionals and eliminate the need for some staff. This will impact the types and amount of workspaces that are needed.
- Population data mining for everyone: AI’s ability to analyze and predict diseases and new treatment options will present new design challenges
On the creative side, AI allows healthcare architects and designers to run different scenarios for their designs by generating multiple solutions based on specific things like space utilization, sustainability, and aesthetics. It’s also being used to design more energy-efficient buildings by simulating how they will interact with natural elements such as sunlight, wind, and temperature.
AI-powered virtual staging tools can give clients an idea of what a space might look like with out physical staging. And AI can be used to suggest furniture arrangements, color schemes, and design themes.
What to make of AI
So, are all of you healthcare architects and designers going to be replaced by AI? Heck no. It cannot replace the deeply human qualities of empathy, ethics, intuition, and a sense of purpose that is essential to you and the work you do.
But if you’re not using AI as a tool to help problem-solve, stimulate your creativity, and produce better designs, then you’re missing the boat.
See the original article as well as more insights on Sara Marberry’s Blog.
This column originally ran on Sara Marberry’s Blog on February 28, 2025. Marberry is a healthcare design expert with over 25 years of experience in the healthcare and senior living design industry, who has written/edited five books and is a regular contributor to Healthcare Design magazine. Marberry also is a former Executive Vice President of the nonprofit Center for Health Design.