ARCHITECTURE AND DESIGN
Local artists can be showcased to add a sense of community throughout a patient’s journey.
Avoiding clinical smells While preferences related to smells vary, common seasonal and natural scents associated with home are the most well received. However, the smell of industry chemical antibacterial cleaning products is the one most associated with healthcare settings. One way to address this is to introduce better airflow and natural ventilation in hospitals, particularly within inpatient wards. Openable windows or access to balconies provide the opportunity to bring the smell of nature and outdoors in – and the smell of cleaning products out. Lastly, the concept of tactile surfaces which encourage touch in healthcare is an interesting topic coming out of the pandemic – due to the heightened awareness of transfer of infection via surfaces. While disease transmission is a critical consideration, it is undeniable that the sense of touch can impact a person’s sensory experience of a space. For example, a playful wall that has interesting textures and different materials can help children move along a corridor, while providing a positive distraction. Or, if scope and space allow, community gardens and orchards provide a place for patients to use their hands to connect and create. These dedicated spaces that the community can use also provide another home-like perk: the atmosphere of a neighbourhood.
Plan with a human scale When creating a sense of home, it is important to consider scale, but domestic- sized buildings are not ideally suited to most hospitals. Instead, these spaces must be broken down to accommodate a more human scale. Transitional spaces such as waiting areas and atriums can be viewed as a series of smaller and more diverse areas through dropped ceiling heights, boothed seating areas, and protected nooks which give patients and visitors a sense of security and protection. Likewise, the length and scale of corridors through departments can be broken down where possible, and designed to house alcoves for different uses – which, in addition to
Dropped ceilings and thoughtfully designed nooks mixed in large waiting zones create interest and a playful environment.
creating a more homely feel, also helps with wayfinding. Space planning also impacts well-being when considering the flow through the hospital. For example, consultation rooms with dual exits provide patients who receive bad news with a discrete route away from others waiting, while incorporating spaces where patients or visitors can take private respite to ‘process’ before they continue their journey is also beneficial.
Good space planning Space planning within patient rooms is key, since – in addition to clinical functionality – a patient’s bedroom must act as all rooms in a ‘home’ while they are in hospital. Providing the patient with opportunity for time away from bed – such as a fold-up desk or table that can be utilised at mealtimes, or a sofa that transforms into a parents’ bed in a paediatric facility – and easy-to-control lighting for different moods and times of day, can give a sense of separation. Likewise, space planning in the wider ward can also help encourage patients away from the bed. Easily accessible living and
dining rooms, or play areas in children’s wards, offer the opportunity for patients to move away from the bedroom and socialise, which is particularly important for patients who are anxious about being in solitude. Hospitals are places of profound
breakthroughs and healing, but they can also cause feelings of uncertainty and anxiousness, especially for paediatric patients or those experiencing an extended stay. Providing a sense of comfort and choice, whether through small-scale interventions such as incorporating residential furniture or lighting, or larger-scale undertakings such as an arts strategy or space planning, can contribute to a calm, healing atmosphere that puts patients at ease and helps them recover.
References 1 Weir K. Nurtured by nature. Monitor on psychology. April 1 2020; 51 (3): 50.
2 Markovitz S, Mullenix R. A Quiet Building Is a Healthy Building. NBBJ online.
https://www.nbbj.com/ideas/a-quiet- building-is-a-healthy-building
Abigail Katovsky
Abigail Katovsky, Associate at NBBJ, is an architect specialising in clinical design and planning of complex healthcare schemes. Her experience includes the new Royal Liverpool University Hospital and the new Cambridge Cancer Research Hospital. She takes a detailed approach to healthcare design, and is particularly interested in creating environments which promote health and wellbeing for staff, and a ‘home away from home’ for patients.
Britni Stone
Senior Associate at NBBJ, Britni Stone, is a senior interior designer with over a decade of experience gained on projects across the world, including the Life and Mind Building for the University of Oxford, the award-winning American International University in Kuwait, and multiple healthcare facilities – including the Nationwide Children’s Hospital in Columbus, Ohio, in the US. A strong conceptual thinker, Britni is known for creating environments that are ‘functional, imaginative, and meaningful’.
October 2022 Health Estate Journal 55
Benjamin Benschneider
NBBJ
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