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 Vol. 29 Summer 2004 |
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 Juntendo Tokyo Koto Geriatric Medical Center, built by Kajima |
Innovative Health Care Facilities for Japan's Aging Society As Japan develops into an "ultra-aged society," the provision of national health care and social services for the aged will become a pressing social need. At the same time, the number of working people who support the system of national health care and social services is decreasing. These conflicting trends have brought sweeping change to the health care and social services environment, notably cuts in public medical expenditures and the introduction of nursing care insurance. Efficiently satisfying future health care and social service needs will require more ingenious solutions, such as the optimization of the social services mix and a comprehensive approach to health care and social services. Let's examine some innovative solutions being applied to this critical public issue using case studies involving Kajima. |
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The Juntendo Tokyo Koto Geriatric Medical Center (pictured on the cover) in Koto Ward's Shinsuna district is a hospital that provides medical treatment for elderly people suffering from senile dementia and other geriatric diseases. It was initiated by the Tokyo Metropolitan Government with the aim of building a multiple complex for elderly people who require long-term care, rehabilitation, health promotion, home medical care and other services beyond the scope of traditional health care. Today, a geriatric nursing and health care facility and a special nursing home for the aged have been built next to the Juntendo Tokyo Koto Geriatric Medical Center. Complementing each other, they form an innovative health care complex for Japan's aging society. |
 Artist's rendering of double-floor construction |
Flexible Construction for Adjustable Hospitals Change is endemic in 21st century society, and hospitals in Japan are pressed to respond to ever-changing requirements and expectations-- revisions to the Medical Service Law, the introduction of state-of-the-art medical technologies, and developments in the use of hospital rooms, to name a few examples. However, with conventional hospital construction, adjusting corridor width or hospital room dimensions requires extensive demolitions including dismantling ceilings, and this necessitates vacating the rooms on the floors above and below areas under construction. To solve this dilemma, Kajima has developed the "adjustable hospital," a concept for building flexibility into hospital wards to cope with continual change. This innovative concept involves combining techniques for increasing the adjustability of space such as flat-slab construction that does not require beams; double floors that simplify renewal and rearrangement of wet areas and other facilities; panel system partition walls that make it possible to change room layouts; and bedside medical equipment units. An adjustable facility is currently under construction at the Tokyo Dental College Ichikawa General Hospital. Adoption of these flexible techniques not only reduces the time and cost required for facilities refurbishment, it also minimizes hospital revenue decreases during construction by effectively utilizing beds. |
 Tokyo Dental College Ichikawa General Hospital |
Safe and Secure Seismic-Resistant Hospitals When a major earthquake strikes, hospitals in Japan are expected to secure the safety of patients and function as emergency relief centers for surrounding areas. To ensure that they are able to perform this critical public function, more hospitals are taking measures to prevent the collapse of buildings, the destruction of medical equipment, and the severing of electrical wiring and plumbing. The most effective means of achieving this is to utilize base-isolation systems that effectively reduce earthquake motion. This method involves installing between the building and its foundation quake-absorbing equipment that acts as a cushion which greatly dampens the seismic force on the building and reduces shaking by from about one-fifth to one-third. This greatly increases safety during earthquakes and protects vital hospital functions. |
 Inagi Municipal Hospital: Kajima's base-isolation technology was applied in a suburban hospital. |
Building Hospitals That Will Appeal to Patients for Years to Come Hospitals today are constantly exposed to inexorable change in the form of advances in medical practices, the diversification of patient needs, and changes in facilities standards. In its role as a reliable partner for hospital management, Kajima both provides proven construction technologies and emphasizes consulting on management and business issues from the initial planning stage. Offering comprehensive services that span everything from management diagnosis, facilities planning, design, construction, and aftermarket support, the Kajima medical and social services team will continue to strive to create medical facilities that patients will choose for years to come. |
 Vol. 29 Summer 2004
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