There are three basic ways of benchmarking.
• Number - by giving a numerical minima or maxima
...the entrance space must be at least 100m2 in area
• Relative - by describing how you want it to be different to something that already exists
...the entrance space should be much bigger than the one in the current facility...
• Comparator - by pointing to something you want it to be like
...the entrance space should be like the one provided elsewhere ...
Each of these has its benefits and pitfalls in terms of the extent of description and even prescription given to the designer and therefore this must be balanced in the methods and skills being employed to assess if this benchmark is being achieved. When setting a benchmark by using a comparator it is important to bear in mind that the purpose of choosing comparators is not to choose a predetermined design solution; it is to provide an example (or better still a range of examples) of 'what success might look like'.
The setting of benchmarks requires an understanding of what has gone before, and this is likely to require the project team to do some research and carry out site visits to learn from what others have done. As an initial step into this there are a number of web resources that can be used for scoping and as a source of reference projects or criteria. The most likely to be relevant are:
Healthier Places - www.healthierplaces.org
This website has been commissioned by SGHD, HFS and A+DS to house information on good healthcare design to assist boards in brief development and to raise awareness of the good practice being developed and delivered across NHSScotland and elsewhere. In addition to providing guidance on the development of 'design statements', and articles on healthcare design topics, the website holds a project resource (called 'pulse') that can be used in two main ways:
• Search by project type : to find out about recent and current developments in NHSScotland, and elsewhere, that are of a similar type to the one being considered by the client team. This will provide basic details on the project, the key team members involved and images where available. Key design documents, such as the 'Design Statement' and Post Occupancy Evaluations will be included once they are in the public realm to allow greater learning from what has gone before. It is envisaged client teams will use this search primarily at the outset of a project to:
o Establish similar works by colleagues in other boards
o Facilitate contact to allow shared learning
o Establish possible visit lists for the client team and key stakeholders to raise awareness and understanding.
• Search by area : to find photographs of different areas of the healthcare estate (such as entrance areas and consulting rooms) to raise awareness of what has been achieved elsewhere. It is envisaged client teams will use this search primarily to assist benchmarking within the Design Statement being developed for projects.
This resource will be maintained by A+DS using project information submitted to the NHSScotland Design Assessment Process (once the Business Case is in the public realm), case studies of completed developments, and supplemented by images submitted by users of the site. NHS Boards are encouraged to upload photographs taken during visits to inspirational developments (especially those outwith Scotland) to assist knowledge transfer between project teams.
Ideas - http://ideas.dh.gov.uk
Developed by NHSEstates in England this site describes design challenges of particular built elements (such as bedrooms or consulting rooms) and numerous examples of completed buildings that respond to these challenges.