Help Shape Global Healthcare Facility Standards: A Unique Opportunity at the IHEA National Symposium
Australian healthcare engineering professionals are being invited to contribute to an important international initiative that could help shape the future of healthcare facility design around the world.
At the upcoming IHEA National Symposium in Fremantle, 16–18 November 2026, delegates will have a rare opportunity to participate in a collaborative workshop led by Walt Vernon, newly appointed President of the International Federation of Healthcare Engineering (IFHE).
The workshop will explore work being undertaken by the World Health Organization (WHO) and IFHE to develop new global guidance for healthcare facility design, with a particular focus on supporting safe, resilient and sustainable healthcare facilities in low-resource settings.
More than a traditional conference presentation, this session will provide an opportunity for Australian healthcare engineering professionals to share their expertise, challenge ideas and contribute practical insights to international guidance currently under development.
A Global Initiative with Real-World Impact
Healthcare facilities are among the most complex and critical buildings in any community. Their ability to operate safely and effectively depends on thoughtful design, reliable infrastructure, appropriate engineering systems and the expertise of the professionals responsible for delivering them.
However, many healthcare projects around the world face significant challenges, particularly in low- and middle-income countries where access to established design guidance, technical resources and standardised infrastructure requirements can be limited.
To help address this challenge, WHO has invited IFHE to contribute to the development of three important global resources:
Guidelines for safe, climate-resilient and environmentally sustainable healthcare facilities, helping health systems respond to changing environmental and operational demands.
Practical guidance for establishing healthcare facilities in emergency settings, supporting the rapid and effective delivery of essential healthcare services.
A manual for planning and constructing essential healthcare facilities in low-resource settings, providing accessible, practical design guidance for healthcare infrastructure projects.
An important objective is to provide healthcare planners, designers and engineers with clear, practical starting points rather than requiring every project to begin from scratch.
The proposed guidance will consider the essential functions of individual healthcare spaces, outlining what they need to achieve and identifying practical approaches to delivering safe and effective environments.
This work has the potential to improve consistency, strengthen infrastructure resilience and support better healthcare delivery in communities worldwide.
Meet Walt Vernon – IFHE President
Walt Vernon brings extensive international experience in healthcare engineering, sustainable infrastructure and health facility resilience.
As the newly elected President of IFHE, Walt is actively involved in the WHO initiatives, including co-leading working groups contributing to the development of global healthcare facility guidance.
His work spans healthcare infrastructure design, decarbonisation, sustainability, engineering standards and international collaboration.
Through his involvement with WHO and IFHE, Walt is helping bring together healthcare engineering expertise from around the world to inform practical solutions for some of the most challenging healthcare environments.
At the IHEA National Symposium, delegates will have the opportunity to hear directly from Walt about the international initiative and, importantly, contribute their own expertise to the conversation.
More Than a Presentation – An Opportunity to Influence Global Guidance
This session is designed to be a working discussion, not simply another presentation.
Walt is facilitating conversations with healthcare engineering professionals internationally, gathering practical feedback to help inform the development of WHO/IFHE guidance.
The Fremantle workshop will provide an opportunity for Australian delegates to examine the proposed approach, identify challenges and share recommendations informed by their own professional experience.
Discussions may explore questions such as:
What should international healthcare facility guidance identify as the essential requirements of clinical and support spaces?
How can global standards balance minimum functional requirements with local operating conditions, resources and capabilities?
What lessons can be drawn from Australia's healthcare facility design, engineering and infrastructure management experience?
How can healthcare facilities be designed to improve resilience, sustainability and long-term operational performance?
What practical guidance would best support engineers and designers working in low-resource and emergency environments?
Australia has considerable expertise in healthcare infrastructure planning, engineering, facilities management and technical standards.
Established resources such as the Australasian Health Facility Guidelines, together with the practical experience of professionals working across diverse healthcare environments, provide valuable perspectives that can inform international discussions.
The insights and recommendations gathered through these international workshops are intended to feed into the WHO/IFHE development process, helping inform guidance that may ultimately support healthcare infrastructure projects around the world.
Why Australian Participation Matters
While international standards and guidelines influence the healthcare engineering profession, opportunities to contribute directly to their development are not always readily available.
This workshop offers IHEA members and Symposium delegates a valuable opportunity to move beyond observing international developments and actively contribute to them.
For Australian healthcare engineering professionals, participation provides an opportunity to:
Share Australian expertise: Contribute lessons learned from healthcare facility design, infrastructure delivery, operational management and engineering practice.
Influence international guidance: Provide practical feedback to help inform global resources being developed through WHO and IFHE.
Support better global healthcare outcomes: Contribute knowledge that may assist in delivering safer and more resilient healthcare facilities in resource-constrained environments.
Strengthen professional connections: Engage with international initiatives and the broader global healthcare engineering community.
Raise Australia's international profile: Demonstrate the depth of expertise and experience within Australia's healthcare engineering and infrastructure sector.
For IHEA, the workshop also represents an important opportunity to strengthen international engagement and collaboration with IFHE and the broader WHO initiative.
It reinforces the value of IHEA's professional community and the contribution Australian healthcare engineering expertise can make to challenges extending well beyond our national borders.
Bringing Everyone Together to Make a Difference
The workshop strongly reflects the collaborative spirit of the 2026 IHEA National Symposium, held under the theme "Collaboration by Design | Advancing Healthcare Together."
Healthcare infrastructure challenges rarely exist in isolation. They require engineers, architects, designers, facility managers, clinicians, infrastructure planners and industry specialists to work together, exchange knowledge and develop practical solutions.
By bringing these perspectives together, the workshop aims to demonstrate the value of collaboration across both professional disciplines and international borders.
Whether your expertise lies in hospital engineering, building services, healthcare design, asset management, sustainability, clinical infrastructure or project delivery, your experience can contribute to the discussion.
You do not need to be an international standards expert to have something valuable to share. Practical experience from the design, delivery and operation of healthcare facilities is precisely the knowledge this initiative seeks to capture.
Be Part of the Conversation in Fremantle
Opportunities to contribute to an initiative of this international significance do not come around often.
The IHEA National Symposium offers delegates the chance to engage directly with IFHE leadership, learn about the work underway with WHO and contribute Australian perspectives to the development of global healthcare facility guidance.
This is an opportunity to do more than listen, learn and network.
It is an opportunity to have your expertise heard, strengthen Australia's voice in international healthcare engineering and contribute to work that could make a meaningful difference to healthcare facilities around the world.
We strongly encourage IHEA members and industry professionals to participate in this important discussion.
Register for the IHEA National Symposium 2026
Event: IHEA National Symposium 2026
Theme: Collaboration by Design | Advancing Healthcare Together
Dates: 16–18 November 2026
Venue: Esplanade Hotel Fremantle by Rydges, Western Australia
Featured Contributor: Walt Vernon, President, International Federation of Healthcare Engineering (IFHE)
Alongside this special workshop, delegates can look forward to an engaging program of technical presentations, industry discussions, professional development and networking opportunities with healthcare engineering professionals from across Australia and internationally.
Don't miss this rare chance to contribute to a global conversation about the future of healthcare facility design.
Your experience matters. Your expertise matters. Help ensure Australia's voice is part of the global conversation.
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