By Healthcare Facilities Today

Emerging markets and a desire for U.S. health care designers have created a thriving international industry for U.S.-based architects, according to an article on the Health Facilities Management magazine website.

International projects involve collaboration. U.S. firms generally partner with local firms that understand local regulatory processes and construction methodologies, which can vary from country to country.

Government-based projects may be delivered through public-private partnerships, which entail public funding for private facilities, often with a long-term lease back to the government, the article said. Privately held hospitals may involve developers and operators who have embarked on projects in several countries

As a result of the number of stakeholders involved, multinational project teams can be complex. For instance, the Royal Children's Hospital, Victoria, Australia, employed a team that included three architecture firms — Billard Leece and Bates Smart, both from Australia, and HKS from the United States — plus a contractor, a facilities management firm and a funds and asset management company, the article said. 

Overseas projects require spending a lot of time in country. Multinational teams can also become adept at using technology for project delivery. Bill Roger, HOK, said two of his firm's recent hospital projects in Singapore, Mount Elizabeth Novena Hospital and Ng Teng Fong General Hospital, "were a training ground for learning to do it efficiently and, to some degree, remotely."

Read the article.