KJC Korea
Journal Central

Purpose: The Korean government has implemented a Barrier Free Certification System since 2008 to create a secure and convenient environment for the socially disadvantaged. The drastic increase in the number of BF-certification facilities is expected due to the revision of the system and increasing the number of certification institutions. An analysis of individual evaluation items needs to be made for the BF-Certification with public confidence. Method: Korean standard, International Standard(ISO/FDIS 21542, 2011), German Standard(DIN 18040-1, 2010), Austrian Standard(ÖNORM B 1600, 2017) and Swiss Standard(Norm SIA 500 / SN 521 500, 2009) were investigated and analyzed. A comprehensive improvement plan is proposed by comparing details of the aforementioned standards and the evaluation items of BF-Certification. Results: Many problems arise in applying existing Barrier-free standards due to changes in population structure, environmental change and the use of powered wheelchairs. International standards are being improved to solve these problems. The korean standards also require improving of the Barrier Free Law and Certification System, which reflect these trends. In korean cases, standards such as the size of the doors (width and height), the Unobstructed Manoeuvring Space and Clear Space at the Latch side of the Door are required to improve standards in accordance with international standards. In addition, the expression of laws and evaluation items of BF-Certification should be clearly defined. And the application of visual contrast standards for the enhancement of perceptions presented in international standards should be considered. Implication: Barrier Free related legal standards and evaluation items of BF-Certification that are used in Korea are required to be revised in consideration of social and environmental changes. Comprehensive improvements should be made through detailed review.

Purpose: Since hospitals have a big impact on the natural and social environment, hospitals’ sustainability must be considered in various aspects including environmental, social, and economical aspects. So far, research on sustainable hospitals has mainly been conducted on indoor environment, but outdoor space of hospital is as important as well. The purpose of this research is to study the sustainability of hospital outdoor space and to make proposals for improving sustainable regional public hospitals. Methods: Through preceding research analysis and literature review, the concept of sustainable outdoor space of hospital was defined. Also, the evaluation contents of outdoor space were extracted from domestic and foreign green building certification criteria. With this analytic frame, we visited 4 regional public hospitals in Korea, interviewed the facility managers, and analyzed sustainability of hospital outdoor space. Results: Analysis of 4 regional public hospitals reveals that there is a lack of consideration for sustainability in all 4 categories; urban and network, natural environment, community, and user. In terms of community, sustainability has rarely been applied to all four hospitals. The site selection and terrain of the site were essential to sustainability. Implications: Establishing a master plan considering future expansion is critical. Also more attempt to show regional characteristics is needed. It is necessary to design a comprehensive outdoor space that considers sustainability and also healing environment. Level difference in the site can be used as a design element.

Purpose: The characteristics of spatial allocation planning in dentistry through examining the dental hospitals in Korea and comparison between them are necessary for the development of planning of the dental healthcare system. This study has been started to provide basic informations such as zoning, allocation distribution, and space configuration for the planning of dental hospital architecture. Methods: Literature review of dental care departments and investigation on current status of dental hospital in Korea have been conducted. The spatial allocation and space configuration of eleven dental hospitals have been analyzed. Results: The result of this study can be summarized in three points. The first one is that dental hospitals in Korea are consisted with eight to eleven dental care departments and they are divided with the horizontal allocation type with three to four departments in a floor for the spatial communication or the vertical allocation type with a department in each floor for the independent space. The second one is that oral medicine and oral maxillofacial radiology are located near the main entrance, orthodontics and pedodontic dentistry in lower level, prosthodontics in upper level, and conservative dentistry and periodontics have no specific spatial consideration. The third one is that the factors to consider the allocation planning are zoning for examination & diagnosis, basic practice, adolescence, surgery, circulations for patient, dentist, staff, different access for department like as easy access for reception and pedodontic dentistry, enclosure space for prosthodontics and surgery, frequency of visit and treatment care time, and change of treatment concept from treatment department to disease control corporative practice. Implications: This study is the starting point for the research of spatial configuration in dentistry and it is necessary to analyze the architectural planning to develop the dental healthcare system.

Purpose: As the structure of the disease has been changed and the infectious disease has been increased, the demand for diagnostic examination has been increasing. So, the department of laboratory medicine in hospital has playing the important role accounting for about nineteen percent of total medical expenses in korea. This study is to investigate the laboratory function and spatial composition of the department and figure out the space area and space organization. Methods: Explore the literature review to identify the laboratory function. Limit to five cases of tertiary level general hospital having about a thousand bed and analyze the space layout and floor area to confirm the spatial composition. Classify the exam function and check the spatial composition and spatial organization. Results: This study allows 5 conclusions to be summarized. Laboratory medicine divided into nine part in regulation, but in space allocated into core lab, emergency lab and six part lab. Total laboratory area is 2,036㎡ in average, and is composited with 60% for lab, 17% for office and 20% for public. Lab area per a bed presents 1.88㎡. Microbiolgy and molecular lab area are getting large. Laboratory space organized into the four zone, like an entrance zone, core zone, rear zone and peripheral zone. Emergency and transfusion lab are allocated in entrance zone, hematology chemistry and immunology in core lab, microbiology and molecular lab in rear, support offices in peripheral zone. The most important point was to check the spatial composition of the Laboratory Medicine according to the inspection function. Implications: This study can be used as a useful data in planning and designing a Laboratory Medicine Department.

Purpose: This study is to identify the implications and improvement solutions to plan the local community spaces bringing empty homes back into use that fit for regional characteristics, by analyzing the Empty Home Utilization Project implemented in Nam-gu, Incheon. Methods: Among 20 homes sponsored by the Project, five homes being currently operated were analyzed in depth, and features of exterior and interior spaces, and operational characteristics of the subject homes having been renovated through the project sponsorship were examined. Results: A plan is being established to systematically manage deserted or empty homes by assigning classification to each home in Nam-gu, Incheon and they are being utilized as a community space, a place of business or a cultural art space. Most of the physical improvements only included minor repairs such as redoing interior finish, as no major renovation was implemented including layout change and wall removing. Absence of major changes including improvement of house structure resulted in problems regarding accessibility and safety. Also, there was a limit to utilize the spaces only with support on physical improvement cost for empty homes, and it was identified that positive support for renovation should be conducted in accordance with its uses for the purpose. Implications: To complete the Empty Home Utilization Project successfully, it is most critical to reflect the resident opinions and demands, and discover local operators. Furthermore, for sustainable operation of local community space, additional plans for support would be required including financial support and training local leaders, consulting support for operation, encouraging community participation, and connecting with neighbor community.

Purpose: This study is for the facility eligibility and improvement evaluation analysis for the patient care environment of 7 facilities which has national inpatient isolation units. Methods: For the evaluation, first of all, the patient care environment of national inpatient isolation units are scrutinized by the checklist which is used on from 2014 with the 4 fields of criteria : architectural planning and layout, general requirement and condition for operating the negative pressured isolated patient room, HVAC system, and waste water discharging system. Finally, the evaluation results are compared with that of 2014. Results: The result shows that the average value of facility eligibility is 89.3 percent and which is 8.9 percent higher than the value before the MERS occurred. Implications: It is clear that facility remodeling of 7 institutions is being performed continuously, and the result of facility eligibility evaluation is reflected on design of a new 21 national inpatient isolation units those are going to be constructed from 2016. Therefore, it is expected that this study is used as a practical reference to establish the criteria of patient care environment management and safety management for both infectious disease outbreak and general service condition.

Purpose: In terms of the flexibility in hospital architecture, there are fixed elements of hospital architecture: mechanical, electrical, aeration rooms and shafts, which are the main utility spaces. Thus, it is necessary to recognize the utility space as a system that helps internal functions and flexible internal changes. This study analyzes the notion of the main utility space in hospital architecture and the architectural planning features of the main utility spaces as the system in the design process of the recently built hospitals. Methods: The design factors are extracted comparing two hospitals’ plans in each stage and the systematic characteristics of utility spaces are analyzed accordingly. The opinions gathered from interviews of practitioners, architects and facility planning experts directly involved in the architecture design process are analyzed and reflected in the results. Results: Planning for utility spaces should be accompanied by the architectural plan from the basic design process, and proceeded with recognizing utility spaces as a system, which is a fixed element. Utility spaces are highly organically connected. Horizontal and vertical distribution of air chambers can reduce the length and number of ducts, and thus save story height, and reduce the number of shafts, the vertical connection passage. This is advantageous in securing the variable area, which is the ultimate objective of the system-centered hospital architecture plan. Implications: Thereby aims to provide fundamental data on systematic utility space planning in the hospital architecture planning.

Purpose: In recent years, since 2000 many hospitals have established a master plan. However, there are some hospitals proceeding in different way from the master plan while the process of execution plan. This is because the study of master plan has been incomplete yet and there is no feedback on the master plan. Therefore, the p`urpose of this study is to find the reasons why differences are occurred. Methods: Comparison analysis of five hospitals which have established master plans and constructed with execution plans and Questionnaire to an architect of execution plan have been conducted. Results: This study has found three points. The first one is the change in scope of business and the change of administrator. The second one is that administrator and staff of hospital have more demands for improvement in functional area rather than public area, like lobby. The last one is to check a possibility of the solution by architectural analysis. Implications: It is necessary to determine the cause of changes from master plan and execution plan, in order to reduce the change in advance.

Purpose: Korean society has already entered an aged society but there aren’t many evidence-based studies on the elderly-friendly design elements in the apartment environment, which is the main residential type in Korea. The main purpose of this study is to verify the necessity and expandability of the outdoor environment design in the public rental apartment complex through the evaluation of the effectiveness and satisfaction of SMG(Seoul Metropolitan Government) Cognitive Health Design Project in GR 1 apartment complex. Methods: The research subjects were GR 1-complex as experimental group and the nearby Wolgye Deer 1-complex as control group, both public rental apartment and located in Seoul. As a research method, the survey was conducted before and after the implementation of SMG project for residents of the apartment. A total of 200 preliminary surveys and 203 post surveys were conducted. Results: As a result of this study, residents' accidents related safety have decreased, and both the frequency of use and satisfaction of most facilities have increased. It is noteworthy that the increase in cognitive items in the post-survey. Also, 74.5% of the residents evaluated that the complex was better to live after the project was implement. Implications: The fact that the preliminary surveys were not conducted for the same person is considered as the limitation of the study, but it is meaningful in that it systematically assesses the effectiveness of the project on the cognitive health of the outdoor residential environment towards age-friendly city.

Purpose: While Japan undergoes super aged society, Japanese Elderly Facilities are trying to keep elderly residents from social isolation and expand regional interaction. Methods: This study analyzes regional linkage characteristics through 8 cases of Aichi-Elderly Facilities which realize regional interaction and symbiosis(life together) between various generations by visiting. Result: 1) Most researched facilities except SO provide and share opportunity for interaction with community and residents through space for regional interaction including cafe and various programs and interactive settings. 2) The facility which seeks regional linkage through Mixed-use of facilities can devide into ①Mixed-use of facilities easy to found, ② Addition of housing function (NM, SM, DM) and ③ Mixed-use with different facilities(HY, GM) 3) The characteristics of interaction and symbiosis between generations are ① to adopt concept of life together to have interaction possibility with young generation and children: most studied facilities except SO ② to establish elderly residence into facility to have interaction(FE, SM, GM) or place family room or single room into elderly residence (NM, DM, BN) ③ to disperse small facilities into community (FE) or facility or community realizing symbiosis through various facility arrangement (SM, GM). 4) Therefore, this study can categorize ①Program network, ②Temporary interaction, ③Symbiosis residence, ④ Symbiosis community according to characteristics which regional linkage has. Implication: Regional Linkage is an important concept to improve social interaction in community-based facilities. It is a thought-provoking concept to Korean elderly facilities because Korean facilities are still far from a city and in isolated environment.