Healthcare environments are fast-paced and intense. To perform their work safely and efficiently, care teams need clean and dependable nurses stations that help them focus on caring for patients. Commend's powerful and durable prefab design was made for the realities of healthcare, setting caregivers up for success in challenging work environments.
Human-Centered Design Research
Made for caregivers. And for caregiver environments.
We started by observing care teams at work. We found that many nurses stations didn’t support caregivers’ specialized work or communications between teammates. We also saw excessive wear and tear on millwork nurses stations that weren’t made to withstand the extreme demands of caregiver environments. So we began exploring prefab solutions that would be better at providing caregivers with supportive spaces.
Modular Form
An attractive take on prefab.
We knew that prefab construction was a better solution for team environments: it’s dependable, repeatable, and scalable across facilities. But we also knew that organizations love millwork for its aesthetic expressiveness. So we set out to create the most beautiful prefab solution possible. Our modular design is sleek and linear and functions as a set of building blocks for creating different team spaces while maintaining aesthetic cohesion across facilities.
Power and Data
Primed for powerful tech.
Care teams use a wide range of technology in their work, and healthcare organizations must plan ahead for changing utility needs. That’s why we designed Commend with an extra-large frame cavity to accommodate high-capacity power and data entry. Multi-piece interior cladding gives installers and maintenance workers easy access to the frame cavity for cable routing. And seamless under-surface cable management keeps workspaces organized and clutter-free.
Corner and Base Protection
Loaded with durable details.
Care team environments are busy, high-traffic work areas, with nurses stations taking impacts from hospital equipment on a regular basis. So we designed Commend with protective details to increase its longevity. Corner protectors shield Commend’s corners—the most common impact site—from dents and marks, and materials like Corian cladding and stainless steel toe kick panels increase its overall durability. And because its prefab form is modular, damaged components can be replaced easily.
Boundaries
Purposeful places for caregiver activities.
Sometimes nurses have to communicate with families, and sometimes they need privacy to focus on their work. Commend has boundary options that communicate varying degrees of openness. An approach peninsula offers a place to connect with patients’ families, while a counter-height boundary topped with surface-to-ceiling glass creates privacy for individual focus.
Minimized Seams
Seamless, easy-to-clean surfaces.
Healthcare environments must be rigorously cleaned and maintained. That’s why we designed Commend’s prefab form to have minimal seams in its surfaces. Its few necessary gaps are sized for easy cleaning, and Corian surfaces are nonporous and simple to sanitize, helping prevent the spread of infection.
