AEI Experts Highlight MEP and Technology Design Trends in Outpatient Surgery and Cancer Centers
U.S. healthcare construction is expected to experience steady growth over the next several years, driven by infrastructure modernization, the shift toward lower-cost care settings, and an aging population. Within this landscape, outpatient surgery centers and cancer care facilities are seeing significant investment as healthcare providers seek more accessible and patient-centered care models.
In Building Design+Construction’s “2026 Healthcare Annual Report,” Abhishek Ajansondkar, Nick Martin, and Mike Fialkowski share their perspectives on MEP and technology design trends shaping outpatient surgery and cancer centers. Facility designs are evolving to support greater adaptability, enhance patient and staff experiences, integrate emerging technologies, and improve operational efficiency and resilience. Key trends include:
- Flexibility: Facilities are integrating flexible and future-ready spaces, equipment, and infrastructure to accommodate evolving care approaches, emerging technologies, and multiple procedures while minimizing the need for frequent renovations.
- Comfort features: Growing expectations around patient and staff well-being are driving designs that support whole-person care, with increased focus on natural light, biophilic elements, convenient amenities, environmental controls, and support spaces.
- Technology integration: Advanced technologies and specialized equipment are introducing greater complexity, requiring closer collaboration among engineers, architects, and owners to address design, installation, and operational challenges.
- Workflow optimization: Facilities are optimizing operational efficiency through lean layouts, standardized rooms, separate circulation paths, digital scheduling, real-time analytics, patient tracking, and inventory management.
- Resilience strategies: More facilities are incorporating redundancy measures, energy-efficient design, and emergency preparedness strategies to minimize vulnerabilities and maintain continuous operations.
Together, these strategies are advancing outpatient surgery and cancer care facility design, creating adaptable environments that support high-quality care, operational efficiency, and evolving healthcare needs.