The SpaceMed Guide provides state-of-the-art planning methodologies, industry benchmarks, and rules-of-thumb to help healthcare architects, planners, and providers develop the functional program and space requirements before beginning the design process and applying the FGI Guidelines. With the step-by-step workbook and space planning templates in Microsoft® Excel, you can quickly determine the types, numbers, and sizes of spaces for any healthcare project based on input from the intended occupants.
Written by Cynthia Hayward, the SpaceMed Guide was first published in 2004, followed by the second edition in 2006 and the third edition in 2015. The fourth edition of the SpaceMed Guide has undergone a significant update and is now available for purchase. Click here for a summary of what's new in the fourth edition.
Organization of the Workbook
The 340-page workbook includes a Preface, What's New in the Fourth Edition, Introduction, and Using This Workbook chapters followed by fifteen facility component sections. Each section includes a descriptive narrative followed by a detailed (room-by-room) space planning template. Additional quick space calculation templates are provided for selected functional components. All templates are formatted in Microsoft® Excel. The templates can be used to plan specific projects, and both imperial and metric versions of the templates are provided. Most functional areas found in acute care hospitals, freestanding ambulatory care centers, and specialty facilities are addressed in one of the SpaceMed Guide's fifteen sections. Some examples of specialty facilities that can be planned with the SpaceMed Guide include a comprehensive ambulatory care center, outpatient cancer center, and multispecialty physician group practice.
After a general description of the specific facility component, the narrative section includes the following topics:
- Current Trends
- Key Planning Issues
- Space Planning Approaches
- Future Flexibility and Adaptability
- Facility Layout Considerations
- Potential Facility Planning Pitfalls
The spaces are organized by functional category of space — such as patient intake area, patient treatment space, shared support space, and administrative space. Guidelines are also provided for developing preliminary space estimates in department gross square feet or meters based on the projected workload, patient treatment spaces, or other space drivers.
See Sample Workbook Pages (PDF)
Unique Space Planning Approach
The SpaceMed Guide offers a unique approach — the space planning templates identify all rooms or areas as either workload dependant, variable, fixed, or optional.