M A R C H 2 0 1 7 O U T P A T I E N TS U R G E R Y. N E T 6 3
start critiquing the layout. You also hold controllers, so you can adjust surgical
lights or move pieces of equipment around the room.
How does the virtual view improve the end product?
Part of the problem of design and construction is that it's very difficult to con-
ceptualize drawings and models and to know what it will feel like to actually
work in the space. The amount of information you pick up by being immersed in
a virtual OR is so much greater, because it's very intuitive — it's how you would
interact with the room in the real world. It's interesting to put people in a virtual
environment that they have a stake in, to hear their comments about the space.
Why are virtual designs better than physical models?
It's expensive to build a mockup out of cardboard and plywood and rent the
space to house it. Then you need to take the surgical team offsite, away from
their jobs to review it. Physical mockups are also static and expensive to alter. We
bring headsets to facilities, have staff check out the virtual space and can change
the design rapidly in response to their feedback. We can create a series of updat-
ed virtual mockups at a quarter of what it costs to build a physical model.
OSM
Mr. Adams (will.adams@mortenson.com) is an integrated construction coordinator at
Mortenson Construction in Seattle, Wash.
