A ‘clean room’ approach to operating room design: A case study in the Netherlands

A design needs to be based on patient safety to prevent aerogene micro-organism entering the wound area or removed from the wound area as soon as possible. By use of cleanroom technology, a controlled environment can be provided in the surgical area. Patient safety is the main goal for a good surgical result and the design of an OR suite. With cleanroom technologies, a controlled environment with a high cleanliness level is achieved, but it can create unpleasant work circumstances with an immense CO2 footprint.

In the Netherlands, all hospitals together are responsible for 7 per cent of the CO2 footprint. Inside a hospital, the OR department is responsible for a large proportion of this CO2 footprint, as it’s using a lot of energy and materials to create a safe environment for surgery. By using the R-ladder of the circular economy, and based on the senses of human beings, a sustainable design according to a healing environment can be created.

To create a safe and clean environment, the OR is equipped with fewer components, such as monitors and medical support systems. All systems are combined in a total IT solution with equipment just outside the OR but used inside. With this technology, the use of materials and the energy consumption is lower. The reduction of components also has a positive effect on the cleanliness level inside the OR. Air- handling systems are used to create the controlled environment and use a large amount of air. In a circular design, the amount of air is minimised and only available when needed. The amount of air needed to control the environment is distributed in a smart pattern of diffusers.