Two years ago this month, the World Health Organization declared the global Public Health Emergency for COVID-19 officially over. Cue the sigh of relief, the flashbacks to toilet paper hoarding, and—if you're like me—the new life timeline: "pre-pandemic" vs. "post-pandemic."

But let’s be honest: for hospitals, health systems, and senior living communities, the pandemic wasn’t just a timeline marker—it was a full-blown crash course in what happens when your physical environment isn’t ready for a global health disaster.

Here are 10 lessons we learned about healthcare facility design—and how we need to think about things going forward:

1. Flexibility Is the New Gospel

Lesson: If your hospital can’t morph like a Transformer, it’s a problem.
Why: During COVID, trying to convert existing spaces into patient units felt improvised.
Design Fix: Universal rooms, modular layouts, and plug-and-play infrastructure. Future-proof like your life depends on it—because, well, it might.

2. Infection Control Isn’t Just a Hand Sanitizer Dispenser

Lesson: Airborne pathogens are not impressed by surface wipes.
Why: Shared air is scarier than shared pens.
Design Fix: Enhanced HVAC and air filtration systems. UV light disinfection systems. Negative pressure rooms. Materials that repel bacteria. Anterooms and airlocks. Operable windows.

3. The Waiting Room Must Die

Lesson: Waiting rooms became petri dishes with bad magazines.
Why: We now associate them with coughing strangers and existential dread.
Design Fix: Go virtual. Text patients when you're ready. Or at least design waiting spaces that don’t scream “Please sit and share your germs.”

4. Telehealth Isn’t Just a Zoom Call With a Stethoscope

Lesson: Virtual care works—but it’s still human care.
Why: Good tech doesn't cancel out bad lighting and background chaos.
Design Fix: Give clinicians telehealth suites, not broom closets. Think cozy, soundproof, and not decorated with a printer and three extension cords.

5. Burnout Isn’t a Badge of Honor

Lesson: Clinical staff are not robots. They cracked.
Why: Long shifts, emotional trauma, zero downtime.
Design Fix: Real respite spaces with natural light, greenery, and silence. Not the supply room with a yoga mat.

6. Nature Is Medicine—And It’s Free

Lesson: Views of dumpsters don't lower stress.
Why: Access to daylight and greenery promotes health and well-being.
Design Fix: Biophilic design. Courtyards. Windows. Roof decks. Nature imagery.

7. Hybrid Work Actually Works (Surprise!)

Lesson: Turns out, people can be productive at home.
Why: Admin staff didn’t need to be physically in the building to send emails.
Design Fix: Ditch the sea of sad cubicles. Build flexible spaces for collaboration and quiet zones for deep work. Hot desks are fine—as long as they're not hot garbage.

8. Health Equity Is Not a Nice-to-Have

Lesson: The pandemic hit some communities harder than others—and our buildings reflect that inequity.
Why: Many neighborhoods lacked access to care, clean air, and decent infrastructure.
Design Fix: Design for equity. Locate facilities in underserved areas. Make them welcoming and accessible. No one should feel like an outsider in a place built to heal.

9. Tech Infrastructure Is Not Just IT’s Problem

Lesson: Wi-Fi is life.
Why: Everything from check-ins to vital signs depended on digital tools.
Design Fix: Build smarter buildings with room to grow digitally. Plan for the next tech leap—don’t trip over outdated cables.

10. Plan for the Apocalypse (Seriously)

Lesson: Emergency preparedness plans were… aspirational.
Why: We weren’t ready for a crisis that lasted more than a weekend.
Design Fix: Build with crisis in mind. Include surge capacity, supply storage, redundant systems. It's all about resiliency.

What Did You Learn?

Got more design lessons from the pandemic trenches? I’d love to hear them. Drop a comment below or email me. Let’s make sure the next crisis (please, not too soon) finds us ready, resilient, and a whole lot smarter.

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Photo: ID 180745585 | Covid © Elizaveta Galitskaya | Dreamstime.com