A quick inside tour of hospital interior design
By Mary Bamborough, IIDA, Director of interior design, GMB Architecture + Engineering in Holland, Michigan, USA
H
‘A hospital environment can and should play a role in helping to put people at ease
ospitals are an unusual building type; they never close. That’s right – they’re open 24/7, 365 days a
year! This is fortunate for all of us because when we need a hospital and its services, one is always there for us. It is a dynamic environment and one that people often experience when they are in their most vulnerable state. In today’s hospitals, patients are more acute than ever; staff is overworked and stressed, and money is tight. There are high expectations for the latest medical equipment. Attracting and keeping staff is a challenge, and competition is fierce. How can you keep up with these challenges, continue to grow your organization, and be sure it is relevant to your end users’ needs? Making the most of your facilities is the way forward. A hospital environment can and should
play a role in helping to put people at ease. Often we refer to creating a “healing environment.” While we know that no environment can heal anyone, it can support
the healing process. Let’s take a look at how interior design can affect everyone’s hospital experience in a positive way:
THE HoSpITAl ExpErIEncE When patients and visitors arrive at your facility, think about how they find their way around. For starters these people are often stressed, so trying to find their way in a large and often confusing environment adds more stress to the situation. Many hospitals have expanded over the years and have added more floors or new buildings to the mix, creating a maze. As a result, wayfinding is an essential part
of creating a welcoming environment, and interior design can help support it. Creating visual cues with artwork or flooring materials – or perhaps something like a water feature – can be more effective than signage in assisting with wayfinding. For example, you probably wouldn’t forget that you walked past a statue of a life-size giraffe (figure 1) or a large image of an indoor waterfall (figure 2), as opposed to a sign pointing you in a particular direction.
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52