Healthcare Interior Design 2.0
Porcelanosa
Recent Episodes
- Post-COVID vantage point: translating six-foot spacing, touch reduction, and one-way flows into healthcare planning
- Earning trust early: leading with research, active listening, and co-authoring solutions with clients
- Community + culture → design: how San Antonio's "smallest big city" vibe shows up in wayfinding, lobbies, and public spaces
- Caregiver lens: where do you take sensitive calls, decompress, or bring a child while visiting?
- Behavioral health everywhere: why BH thinking is showing up across non-BH projects
- Futurism in practice: scanning signals, staying curious, and shaping what's next
- Living design: Perkins&Will's holistic take on health, wellness, sustainability, and poetics
- Curiosity beats tenure. Showing up with relevant research and good questions builds credibility fast.
- Design the whole journey. Spaces that respect caregivers' needs (privacy, quiet, nooks) change the experience.
- Culture isn't décor. Authentic place-based cues support wayfinding, belonging, and ease.
- Behavioral health is universal. Small, thoughtful interventions can lower stress across all settings.
- Be a futurist. Track signals, share knowledge, and help clients prepare—not just react.
- Email: [email protected]
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kristin-leija/
- Perkins&Will — San Antonio Studio — Kristin's team; community-rooted healthcare design. https://perkinswill.com/studio/san-antonio/ Perkins&Will
- Pearl District (San Antonio) — Historic brewery reimagined as a cultural hub where Kristin's studio is based. https://atpearl.com/ Pearl
- Culinary Institute of America — San Antonio (at Pearl) — Daily energy and inspiration right outside the studio. https://www.ciachef.edu/cia-texas/ Culinary Institute of America
- Fiesta San Antonio — The city's "party with a purpose," celebrating culture and community each April. https://fiestasanantonio.org/ Fiesta San Antonio
- UTSA — The University of Texas at San Antonio — Local research partner ecosystem Kristin references. https://www.utsa.edu/ UT San Antonio
- Wilford Hall Medical Center — Former USAF medical hub meaningful in Kristin's family story. https://www.army.mil/article/273984/wilford_hall_preserving_a_legacy_brick_by_brick Army
- Perkins&Will — Living Design — Holistic health, sustainability, and poetics in practice. https://perkinswill.com/living-design/ Perkins&Will
- Behavioral Health Design — Kristin's recent work; principles that translate across care settings. (Overview article you can cite as needed.) https://healthcaredesignmagazine.com/news/perkinswill-opens-new-design-studio-in-san-antonio/64570/ HCD Magazine
- Foresight / Futurism in Design — Signal-scanning mindset to prepare clients for what's next. (Visitor guide to Pearl as a culture/innovation anchor.) https://www.visitsanantonio.com/plan-your-trip/neighborhood-guide/pearl-district/ Visit San Antonio
- CHID — Certified Healthcare Interior Designer (AAHID) https://aahid.org/certification/ AAHID
- EDAC — The Center for Health Design https://www.healthdesign.org/certification-outreach/edac/ Health Design
- LEED Green Associate — USGBC https://www.usgbc.org/credentials/leed-green-associate U.S. Green Building Council
- WELL AP — IWBI https://www.wellcertified.com/well-ap wellcertified.com
- NCIDQ / CIDQ https://www.cidq.org/ CIDQ
- The American Academy of Healthcare Interior Designers
- The Nursing Institute for Healthcare Design
- The American Academy of Healthcare Interior Designers
- The Nursing Institute for Healthcare Design
- (The first) - Human Health: Focusing on avoiding hazardous substances and promoting well-being.
- (Then) - Social Health & Equity: Addressing human rights and fair labor practices throughout the supply chain.
- (The third) is Ecosystem Health: Supporting the regeneration of natural resources and habitats.
- (This is followed by) Climate Health: Reducing and sequestering carbon emissions.
- (And the fifth pillar) is The Circular Economy: Promoting a zero-waste future through design for resilience, adaptability, and reuse.
Today on the pod, Cheryl sits down—virtually—with Senior Planner and Interior Designer Corinn Soro of Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center in Buffalo, NY for a deep dive into wayfinding that actually works: why "visual pollution" erodes attention, how de-crapification clarifies intent, and where evidence-based choices can transform the patient journey from disorientation to ease.
Expect real examples—subway-style maps that set expectations at a glance, pictograms that land when words won't, and donor walls designed to evolve rather than date out—plus the small, cumulative tweaks that lower stress for visitors and staff alike.
Today's conversation is about design as reassurance, translating research into decisions that cut through noise and hand back control the moment someone walks through the door.
What We Cover-
A 17-year-old's spark: geriatric care, neuroplasticity, and the built environment
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London roots: learning research methods alongside OTs and PTs; universal design for all bodies
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Evidence-Based Design in action: NICU decisions (sound, circadian light, infection control) backed by research
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"Visual pollution" vs. visual cues: the case for ruthless editing ("de-crapification") before adding signs
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Wayfinding that works under stress: step-by-step instructions, few decision points, and reassurance cues
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Designing for low literacy: a color-and-letter "subway" system, line-of-travel markers, and proximity intuition
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Pictograms that actually communicate: testing, swapping out abstractions, and kid-friendly icons
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Measuring ROI: missed appointments, staff disruptions, and the real cost of poor wayfinding
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In-house rhythm at a research hospital: tight feedback loops, quick iterations, and process fixes
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Donor walls that age well: digital storytelling, magnetic plaques, and durable substrates
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Advocacy and pipeline: AMFP Upstate NY, craft labor realities, and manufacturing shifts ahead
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Big wish list: self-cleaning floors (for hospitals…and home)
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Why post-occupancy evaluations could prevent future design disasters (and why they rarely happen)
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Edit before you add. Wayfinding succeeds when clutter is removed and destinations are made legible through architecture, lighting, and contrast—not just more signs.
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Design for the stressed brain. Fewer decision points + stepwise reassurance beat complex directions every time.
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Evidence accelerates approvals. EBD turns subjective taste debates into science-backed decisions leadership can green-light.
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Symbols > sentences. Tested pictograms improve comprehension across languages, ages, and literacy levels.
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Iterate in the wild. Being embedded with clinicians and patients surfaces quick wins you'll never catch from afar.
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"Another sign isn't the answer—it dilutes the message."
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"Wayfinding is about giving choice back to patients when so much else is out of their control."
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"If a space is 'too quiet' for the engineer, it's probably just right for the neonates."
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"Healthcare design is a team sport."
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Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center — https://www.roswellpark.org/
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AMFP Upstate New York Chapter — https://amfp.org/upstate-new-york
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Fiona Finer, the Interior Designer (ages 3–8) — https://www.amazon.com/Fiona-Finer-Interior-Designer-Corinn/dp/1720664889
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EDAC Certification (Evidence-Based Design) — https://www.healthdesign.org/certification-outreach/edac
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Hablamos Juntos pictograms — https://www.theicod.org/resources/news-archive/segd-and-hablamos-juntos-introduce-new-universal-symbols-in-health-care
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Sisters of Charity Hospital (Buffalo, NY) — NICU project mentioned — https://www.chsbuffalo.org/sisters-of-charity-hospital/
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Past HID2.0 episode featuring Tama Duffy Day — Episode 20 https://healthcareidpodcast.libsyn.com/2019/09
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Email: [email protected]
Our Industry Partners
The world is changing quickly. The Center for Health Design is committed to providing the healthcare design and senior living design industries with the latest research, best practices and innovations. The Center can help you solve today's biggest healthcare challenges and make a difference in care, safety, medical outcomes, and the bottom line. Find out more at healthdesign.org.
Additional support for this podcast comes from our industry partners:
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The American Academy of Healthcare Interior Designers
-
The Nursing Institute for Healthcare Design
Learn more about how to become a Certified Healthcare Interior Designer® by visiting the American Academy of Healthcare Interior Designers at: https://aahid.org/.
Connect to a community interested in supporting clinician involvement in design and construction of the built environment by visiting The Nursing Institute for Healthcare Design at https://www.nursingihd.com/
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The world is changing quickly. The Center for Health Design is committed to providing the healthcare design and senior living design industries with the latest research, best practices and innovations. The Center can help you solve today's biggest healthcare challenges and make a difference in care, safety, medical outcomes, and the bottom line. Find out more at healthdesign.org.
Additional support for this podcast comes from our industry partners:
-
The American Academy of Healthcare Interior Designers
-
The Nursing Institute for Healthcare Design
Learn more about how to become a Certified Healthcare Interior Designer® by visiting the American Academy of Healthcare Interior Designers at: https://aahid.org/.
Connect to a community interested in supporting clinician involvement in design and construction of the built environment by visiting The Nursing Institute for Healthcare Design at https://www.nursingihd.com/
FEATURED PRODUCTPorcelanosa are at the forefront of sustainable manufacturing – clients not only expect this of their suppliers but are increasingly asking to see the receipts.
Let's unpack this, did you know that hundreds of preeminent members of The American Institute of Architects – The AIA – have signed the AIA Materials Pledge? The Pledge is aligned with the Mindful Materials Common Materials Framework – the CMF. This is just one, very impressive example of how the movement to support decision making for building product selection has reached new highs. We can see these explained as 5 pillars of sustainability:
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(The first) - Human Health: Focusing on avoiding hazardous substances and promoting well-being.
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(Then) - Social Health & Equity: Addressing human rights and fair labor practices throughout the supply chain.
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(The third) is Ecosystem Health: Supporting the regeneration of natural resources and habitats.
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(This is followed by) Climate Health: Reducing and sequestering carbon emissions.
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(And the fifth pillar) is The Circular Economy: Promoting a zero-waste future through design for resilience, adaptability, and reuse.
I mentioned the receipts -How do we track the progress of these principles and values? Without measurement, there's no clear path to improvement or accountability.
The Mindful Materials CMF maps a framework of over 650 sustainability factors across those five key areas.
A cornerstone of material health transparency is an Environmental Product Declaration EPD report. The best are independently verified for accuracy by third party certification bodies – a company cannot mark their own report cards. EPDs are highly technical documents containing scientific information on the embodied carbon used to manufacture products. I have just read and included here an EPD for a Porcelanosa Tile – there are upwards of 1000 data inputs to quantify its climate impact.
Porcelanosa offer the confidence and certainty of knowing that every tile, every slab of XTONE porcelain or KRION solid surface has a Product Specific EPD – when architects and designers work with these materials they are making a robust decision to meet their sustainable design goals.
To learn more about how Porcelanosa help their customers design for resiliency, here is a link to their comprehensive Corporate Social Responsibility Report: https://www.porcelanosa.com/en/corporate-social-responsibility/
What happens when emergency nurses become healthcare design consultants? In this fascinating episode of Healthcare Interior Design 2.0, host Cheryl Janis sits down with two remarkable guests who made the leap from bedside care to transforming how healthcare spaces are designed.
Meet Kelly Guzman, who traded her childhood dreams of training dolphins for a nursing career that began during the 1987 nursing shortage. After years managing emergency departments and clinical services at UCLA Health, Kelly discovered her true calling when tasked with moving entire hospitals into new buildings. Now CEO of Yellow Brick Consulting, she orchestrates complex healthcare facility transitions with military precision - including dress rehearsals with up to 900 staff members testing new spaces before they open.
Meet Kevin Meek, whose journey started at age 13 as a hospital candy striper, inspired by the TV show Emergency 51. His design awakening came in 2014 when he walked through a micro hospital under construction and immediately knew it would be an operational nightmare. One complaint to his boss led to a game-changing meeting with architects in Texas, launching his transition from trauma nurse to design consultant.
Both Kelly and Kevin have served on the board of the Nursing Institute for Healthcare Design (NIHD), our podcast industry partners. They found their tribe in this organization that connects clinical "unicorns" who felt alone in the design space. The NIHD's mission is to engage and integrate clinical expertise into healthcare facility planning through leadership, education, and advocacy - ensuring that the voices of those who actually work in these spaces are heard in the design process.
Together, they've pioneered the concept of "clinically informed design" - and the stories they share will make you question everything you thought you knew about healthcare facility planning. From door handles placed in impossible locations to the eternal struggle of finding space for critical patient information at the bedside, this episode reveals the often hilarious (and sometimes heartbreaking) disconnect between beautiful design and functional reality.
In this eye-opening conversation, you'll discover:
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How two emergency nurses found their calling as healthcare design "unicorns" and why the industry desperately needs more clinical voices
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The game-changing difference between evidence-based design and clinically informed design (hint: one involves research, the other involves asking the right questions)
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Why a door paddle eight feet from the door could be a matter of life and death - and other design details that seem obvious once you know them
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The fascinating world of hospital transition planning, where entire facilities rehearse their opening like a Broadway production
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How the Nursing Institute for Healthcare Design is connecting clinical expertise with architectural brilliance
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Real-world horror stories of beautiful spaces that staff absolutely hate to work in
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Practical strategies for nurses thrust into design meetings and architects wanting to truly engage clinical teams
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Why post-occupancy evaluations could prevent future design disasters (and why they rarely happen)
Discover why nurses are the ultimate design unicorns, learn about the organization connecting clinical voices to design teams nationwide, and find out what happens when a nurse tells a prospective client that they "hate" their gorgeous new facility - with the architect standing right there.
Learn more about Kevin Meek: https://www.haskell.com/
Learn more about Kelly Guzman: https://consultyellowbrick.com/
Learn more about The Nursing Institute for Healthcare Design: https://nursingihd.com/.
Industry Partners
The world is changing quickly. The Center for Health Design is committed to providing the healthcare design and senior living design industries with the latest research, best practices and innovations. The Center can help you solve today's biggest healthcare challenges and make a difference in care, safety, medical outcomes, and the bottom line. Find out more at healthdesign.org.
Additional support for this podcast comes from our industry partners:
-
The American Academy of Healthcare Interior Designers
-
The Nursing Institute for Healthcare Design
Learn more about how to become a Certified Healthcare Interior Designer® by visiting the American Academy of Healthcare Interior Designers at: https://aahid.org/.
Connect to a community interested in supporting clinician involvement in design and construction of the built environment by visiting The Nursing Institute for Healthcare Design at https://www.nursingihd.com/
FEATURED PRODUCTThe prevention of nosocomial infections is of paramount importance. Did you know that bathrooms and showers – particularly in shared spaces – are a veritable breeding ground for pathogen, some of which we see in the form of mold and the build-up of toxic bio films on surfaces.
Body fats and soap scums provide a rich food sauce for micro-organisms such as airborne bacteria Serratia Marcescens, which thrive in humid conditions.
We know that people with weakened immune systems are so much more vulnerable to the illnesses associated with infection and let's face it, none of us go into the shower with an expectation that we might get sick.
So how do we keep those shower walls clean? Well let's think big – BIG TILES.
Porcelanosa have developed XXL Hygienic Ceramic Tiles that are 5 feet long - which means just one piece fits the wall of a shower or tub surround. XTONE Porcelain slabs are 10 feet high which means a floor to ceiling surface with no joints.
Why does this matter? Well hygienic glaze will not harbor pathogen and surface impurities are easily removed to prevent build up – it is reassuring to know the evidence - INTERNATIONAL STANDARDS Test ISO 10545 - Resistance to Stains - has determined these surfaces can be easily cleaned and the most difficult contaminants washed away, greatly reducing the need for aggressive chemicals.
Think about this. When we unload our dishwasher our ceramic tableware is sparkling clean, sanitized and fresh to use - again and again. The principle is the same with large ceramic walls - So, when planning the shower surrounds for your facilities please reach out to Porcelanosa. The designer in you will love the incredible options and your specification will deliver the longest & best lifecycle value bar none.
Step into the world of healthcare design certification, where interior designers develop specialized expertise to create healing environments that protect patients and improve outcomes.
In this informative episode, host Cheryl Janis sits down with Stephanie Fallon, President-Elect, and Megan McNally, President of the American Academy of Healthcare Interior Designers (AAHID), who share insights about the path to becoming a Certified Healthcare Interior Designer (CHID).
From understanding the rigorous examination process to exploring the unique challenges of healthcare environments, Stephanie and Megan reveal why specialized certification has become increasingly critical in an industry where design directly impacts patient safety, infection control, and healing. Their combined 30+ years of experience creating award-winning healthcare spaces illuminates why certified designers are essential members of any healthcare project team.
Discover how AAHID's certification process is elevating the standard of healthcare design nationwide and creating a community of professionals dedicated to advancing evidence-based design practices. This conversation will give you a comprehensive understanding of how specialized certification is transforming healthcare environments and improving outcomes for patients and staff alike.
Learn more about the American Academy of Healthcare Interior Designers at: https://aahid.org/
Stephanie Fallon serves as Director of Interiors and Associate Partner at PhiloWilke Partnership, with 15 years specializing in Healthcare and Health Science Interiors.
Megan McNally is the Director of Interior Design at RYAN Companies, where she leads their National Healthcare Interior Design Practice. She was recently recognized as Healthcare Design's HCD10 in the Interior Design category.
In this enlightening conversation, Cheryl, Stephanie, and Megan explore:
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The mission and 20-year history of the American Academy of Healthcare Interior Designers (AAHID) and its role in certifying healthcare design professionals
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The comprehensive CHID examination process that tests designers' knowledge of critical healthcare environments, from acute care to ambulatory and residential settings
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The two distinct pathways to CHID certification, accommodating both experienced designers and those newer to the healthcare specialty
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How certified designers understand and address unique healthcare challenges related to infection control, patient safety, staff functionality, and code compliance
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The professional benefits of certification, including leadership opportunities, networking with passionate CHIDs, and volunteer positions within committees
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The important impact CHIDs have on planning healthcare environments that promote healing through access to natural light, cleanable materials, and thoughtful design
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Emerging trends in healthcare design, including design for neurodiversity, increased focus on staff retention through supportive amenities, and community integration
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How sustainability, wellness, and technology integration are shaping the future of healthcare design, from robot pathways to AI integration
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A call for healthcare systems to require certified healthcare interior designers on project teams to ensure specialized expertise
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The personal stories of meaningful projects, including a dementia-friendly heart center designed with acoustic controls, intuitive wayfinding, and supportive aids
Whether you're a healthcare professional, interior designer considering healthcare specialization, or someone interested in how design impacts healing environments, this episode offers valuable insights into the specialized world of healthcare interior design certification. Join us for an informative discussion about how certified designers are transforming healthcare spaces and improving outcomes through thoughtful, evidence-based design. Listen to the episode now!
Shout Outs
- Past Episode Mentions:
- [30:43] "For anyone who's listening out there, Episode 64 was" (about the Durable Codings Fabric Task Force)
- [36:53] "Episode 65, " (featuring Dr. Katie Padito about neurodiversity)
- [29:10] "on the committee as well and represented our group, Jane Rohde." https://www.jsrassociates.net/jane
Industry Partners
The world is changing quickly. The Center for Health Design is committed to providing the healthcare design and senior living design industries with the latest research, best practices and innovations. The Center can help you solve today's biggest healthcare challenges and make a difference in care, safety, medical outcomes, and the bottom line. Find out more at healthdesign.org.
Additional support for this podcast comes from our industry partners:
-
The American Academy of Healthcare Interior Designers
-
The Nursing Institute for Healthcare Design
Learn more about how to become a Certified Healthcare Interior Designer® by visiting the American Academy of Healthcare Interior Designers at: https://aahid.org/.
Connect to a community interested in supporting clinician involvement in design and construction of the built environment by visiting The Nursing Institute for Healthcare Design at https://www.nursingihd.com/
FEATURED PRODUCTThe prevention of nosocomial infections is of paramount importance. Did you know that bathrooms and showers – particularly in shared spaces – are a veritable breeding ground for pathogen, some of which we see in the form of mold and the build-up of toxic bio films on surfaces.
Body fats and soap scums provide a rich food sauce for micro-organisms such as airborne bacteria Serratia Marcescens, which thrive in humid conditions.
We know that people with weakened immune systems are so much more vulnerable to the illnesses associated with infection and let's face it, none of us go into the shower with an expectation that we might get sick.
So how do we keep those shower walls clean? Well let's think big – BIG TILES.
Porcelanosa have developed XXL Hygienic Ceramic Tiles that are 5 feet long - which means just one piece fits the wall of a shower or tub surround. XTONE Porcelain slabs are 10 feet high which means a floor to ceiling surface with no joints.
Why does this matter? Well hygienic glaze will not harbor pathogen and surface impurities are easily removed to prevent build up – it is reassuring to know the evidence - INTERNATONAL STANDARDS Test ISO 10545 - Resistance to Stains - has determined these surfaces can be easily cleaned and the most difficult contaminants washed away, greatly reducing the need for aggressive chemicals.
Think about this. When we unload our dishwasher our ceramic tableware is sparkling clean, sanitized and fresh to use - again and again. The principle is the same with large ceramic walls - So, when planning the shower surrounds for your facilities please reach out to Porcelanosa. The designer in you will love the incredible options and your specification will deliver the longest & best lifecycle value bar none.
"When somebody shows you who they truly are, believe them the first time. From the very beginning, we took Emory at their word when they said they wanted to design and build a cancer center never before seen or imagined." —Anthony Treu on The Healthcare Interior Design 2.0 podcast
Step into a world where healthcare spaces nurture healing, empower caregivers, and transform the patient experience. In this inspiring episode, host Cheryl Janis sits down with visionary healthcare architect Anthony Treu, AIA, ACHA, LEED AP, Principal and Healthcare Practice Leader at Skidmore Owings and Merrill (SOM), who is revolutionizing how we think about healthcare design.
From a fourth-grader sketching houses to the one of the architects behind award-winning cancer centers at SOM, Anthony shares the remarkable journey of creating spaces that combine cutting-edge innovation with profound human comfort. He and his teams' work on the groundbreaking Emory Winship Cancer Center in Atlanta, Georgia shows us what's possible when we dare to reimagine healthcare delivery from the ground up.
Discover how Anthony and his team are creating healthcare environments that feel less like institutions and more like sanctuaries of healing, where high-tech innovation meets human-centered design. This conversation will leave you believing in the power of architecture to transform the healthcare experience.
Learn more about Anthony Treu and SOM's pioneering healthcare architecture projects at: https://www.som.com/.
SOM partnered with May Architecture, https://www.mayarchitecture.com/ on the Emory Winship Cancer Center project. Anthony credits this collaboration as a cornerstone of the project's success, combining SOM's innovative approach with May Architecture's specialized clinical design expertise.
In this enlightening conversation, Cheryl and Anthony explore:
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The revolutionary spirit behind Emory Winship Cancer Center, where traditional cancer care was completely reimagined to put patients first
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How rethinking the basic layout of cancer care reduced treatment planning from weeks to a single day
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The stunning results of patient-centered design: registration times cut in half, satisfaction scores soaring into the 90th percentile, and staff retention improving by 10%
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The beautiful balance of creating spaces that feel both technologically advanced and warmly inviting
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How questioning core assumptions – like "Do we really need waiting rooms?" – can lead to breakthrough innovations
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The future of healthcare spaces, where rooms might quietly monitor vital signs without patients even knowing
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Anthony's philosophy of approaching each project with fresh eyes, free from the weight of convention
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Stories from some of SOM's global projects in Egypt and Kazakhstan that reveal universal truths about human-centered healthcare design
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The exciting frontier of healthcare design, where ambient technology and passive monitoring could transform the patient experience
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How collaboration and trust between architects, engineers, and visionary clients can turn seemingly impossible dreams into reality
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The power of asking better questions rather than just designing better solutions
Whether you're a healthcare professional, designer, architect, or someone who cares about improving the healthcare experience, this conversation will inspire you to think differently about what's possible in healthcare design. Join us for a masterclass in how thoughtful design can transform not just buildings, but the entire experience of giving and receiving care. Listen to the episode now!
Shout Outs
- May Architecture (00:24:11)
- Described as cornerstone partner for Emory project
- CBR Healthcare (00:25:19)
- Program manager for Emory project
- Batson Cook (00:25:24)
- Contractor for Emory project
- Newcombe and Boyd (00:25:24)
- Engineering partners
Featured Projects:
- Emory Winship Cancer Center - Atlanta, Georgia (00:00:48)
- Egypt's National Cancer Institute (00:44:23)
- Almaty's International Medical Center (00:44:27)
- Roper St. Francis Healthcare - Charleston, South Carolina (00:48:55)
Industry Partners
The world is changing quickly. The Center for Health Design is committed to providing the healthcare design and senior living design industries with the latest research, best practices and innovations. The Center can help you solve today's biggest healthcare challenges and make a difference in care, safety, medical outcomes, and the bottom line. Find out more at healthdesign.org.
Additional support for this podcast comes from our industry partners:
-
The American Academy of Healthcare Interior Designers
-
The Nursing Institute for Healthcare Design
Learn more about how to become a Certified Healthcare Interior Designer® by visiting the American Academy of Healthcare Interior Designers at: https://aahid.org/.
Connect to a community interested in supporting clinician involvement in design and construction of the built environment by visiting The Nursing Institute for Healthcare Design at https://www.nursingihd.com/
FEATURED PRODUCTThe prevention of nosocomial infections is of paramount importance. Did you know that bathrooms and showers – particularly in shared spaces – are a veritable breeding ground for pathogen, some of which we see in the form of mold and the build-up of toxic bio films on surfaces.
Body fats and soap scums provide a rich food sauce for micro-organisms such as airborne bacteria Serratia Marcescens, which thrive in humid conditions.
We know that people with weakened immune systems are so much more vulnerable to the illnesses associated with infection and let's face it, none of us go into the shower with an expectation that we might get sick.
So how do we keep those shower walls clean? Well let's think big – BIG TILES.
Porcelanosa have developed XXL Hygienic Ceramic Tiles that are 5 feet long - which means just one piece fits the wall of a shower or tub surround. XTONE Porcelain slabs are 10 feet high which means a floor to ceiling surface with no joints.
Why does this matter? Well hygienic glaze will not harbor pathogen and surface impurities are easily removed to prevent build up – it is reassuring to know the evidence - INTERNATONAL STANDARDS Test ISO 10545 - Resistance to Stains - has determined these surfaces can be easily cleaned and the most difficult contaminants washed away, greatly reducing the need for aggressive chemicals.
Think about this. When we unload our dishwasher our ceramic tableware is sparkling clean, sanitized and fresh to use - again and again. The principle is the same with large ceramic walls - So, when planning the shower surrounds for your facilities please reach out to Porcelanosa. The designer in you will love the incredible options and your specification will deliver the longest & best lifecycle value bar none. For more information, visit https://www.porcelanosa.com/us/healthcare.