Enhancing Spatial Relationships in Healthcare Facilities through BIM-Driven Pragmatic Design

Abstract

The spatial relationships within healthcare facilities need to be optimized as it is crucial to increase the efficiency of operation, patient security, and quality of care. This paper explores the ways in which Building Information Modeling (BIM) with the input of the pragmatist approach to design can benefits the spatial configurations of the hospital environment. The question posed by the research is: How would BIM-driven pragmatic design be used to dynamically optimize on proximity and visual accessibility between important functional spaces of the healthcare facility? By covering eight hospitals in the Kurdistan region, the research takes a multi-stage approach that constitutes the following elements: institutional data collection, site measurement, 3D modeling with Archicad, and spatial analysis with Solibri Office based on rules. Results indicate that government hospitals adhered completely to the set spatial standards, whereas, a considerable gap exists in the case of the privately operated hospitals, especially in cases involving spatial distances beyond 30 meters or those without direct access. The findings underscore that BIM-enabled, pragmatic design approaches offer a robust framework for achieving spatial efficiency and patient-centered care in hospital environments.