Office of Construction & Facilities Management
DESIGN GUIDES (PG-18-12)
TIL Feedback - we welcome your suggestions at til@va.gov
If you have questions about, or have difficulty accessing the content of the PDF files, please e-mail Facilities Standards Service at til@va.gov, or contact Gary M. Fischer, Architect at 202-632-4898.
Audiology and Speech Pathology Service - 2017-11 (posted 2018-04)
Cardiovascular Laboratory Service
Digestive Diseases - Endoscopy Service
Electroencephalography Laboratory (EEG)
Emergency Department (ED) Appendix - 2021-12
Eye Clinic: Ophthalmology and Optometry Services - 2017-07 - 2018-04
Imaging Services Design Guide Appendix - 2020-09
Inpatient Mental Health and Residential Rehabilitation Treatment Program Facilities - 2021-01
Medical/Surgical Inpatient Units & Intensive Care Nursing Units
Mental Health Outpatient Services
National Cemetery Administration Design Guide
Office of Information & Technology
– Telecommunications Systems Infrastructure Standards and Design
Outpatient Clinic (SOC/CBOC): Effective October 1, 2016, PG-18-12 Outpatient Clinic (SOC/CBOC) Design Guide is rescinded and shall not be utilized for VA design projects. For Ambulatory Surgery Service planning and design services, material may be found in Inpatient Surgical/Endovascular Services and Ambulatory Surgical Service Design Guide. For CBOC Clinical Services planning and design standards, refer to CBOC Prototype Study and PACT Space Module Design Guide.
PACT (Patient Aligned Care Team) Space Module - 2015-08
Concurrence July 3, 2015
Polytrauma Rehabilitation Center (PRC) - 2015-12
Research Laboratory and Veterinary Medical Unit (VMU): VA’s Research Laboratory and Veterinary Medical Unit (VMU) Design Guides for planning and design standards are scheduled to be completed by the end of 2021. Research Laboratory and Veterinary Medical Unit projects requiring interim guidance should refer to the latest edition of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) Design Requirements Manual. Due to the detailed specificity of the NIH DRM to NIH facilities, this NIH-VA crosswalk file lists the NIH DRM chapter/sections that support/enhance VA's design standards, guides, and manuals. The design contractor is responsible for the design of VA research laboratory and VMU facilities, and any conflicts between standards must be clarified through the project PM/SRE.
Note: PG-18-10 VA Design Manuals must continue to be used for design and engineering guidance. VA standards, guides, and manuals may be found in the TIL Catalog.
Signage and Wayfinding (now under Design Manuals)
Spinal Cord Injury/Disorders Center Appendix - 2020-11
Sterile Processing Service and Logistics Service - 2015-10
Surgical and Endovascular Services Appendix - Change Summary
Telecommunications Systems Infrastructure Standards and Design
NOTICE: VA Design Guides are in a continual process of refinement/update and new Design Guides are being developed. Update will be incremental; completed Guides will be posted on this site and noted as current. As much information in these Guides is dated, it is recommended that they be used with caution to assure that current standards of the health care industry are addressed in meeting VA’s needs. A planning/design consultant may be helpful in confirming the validity of project specific data.
Design Guides are intended to help speed the design process, control cost, avoid errors and omissions, and get value for dollars spent. Design guides are developed in partnership with the using service and are benchmarked with similar private sector guides.
