INTERIOR DESIGN VELIMIRA DRUMMER – SENIOR ARCHITECT AND ASSOCIATE, STANTEC, LONDON
Howdesigncan improve outcomesandefficiency
Hospitals are functional buildings and an interior architect working in the healthcare sector should never lose sight of the practical requirements of the space they are designing. It is therefore important to think beyond the medical and remember the impact of design on patients, their loved ones, clinicians and the community.
A healthcare environment can be an extremely stressful place for patients, visitors and staff. Therefore, the design challenge in such an environment is not just to combine function, comfort and aesthetics, but to do so in a way that supports wellbeing, reduces anxiety and allows efficient and effective treatment to optimise positive outcomes. In short, the challenge is to design an interior that operates like a hospital but doesn’t feel like a hospital. To achieve an uplifting healthcare
environment, there are two main design challenges: firstly, the size and scale of the project, and secondly the needs of different user groups. Large hospitals share some similarities with small towns. Patients move around the space daily for varied purposes, some staying for diagnostic tests and/or treatment. Hospitals are also workplaces for hundreds of staff who either work in the building or visit it for educational purposes. Different user groups and individuals also have a wide range of emotional states and needs. The challenge is to direct and streamline the flow of different users and create successful communities for the varied occupants. Consequently, ‘town planning’ design considerations are key to successful interior architecture in large hospital buildings. Increasingly, large hospitals are
becoming destinations in themselves, with people visiting them to use the amenities, not just to be treated or to visit a sick friend or relative. For example, at the New Victoria Wing located on the Royal Victoria Infirmary campus in Newcastle, there are several public facilities that are enjoyed by the local community including a café, shops, gardens and a cinema. For the interior designer, careful consideration of the needs of all user groups is necessary in
IFHE DIGEST 2018
Colour accented artwork at the Cancer Centre at Guy’s Hospital, London.
order to create vibrant environments that also take inspiration from hospitality and workplace design.
The patient journey So, how do we go about creating healthcare interiors that address the needs of each user group and deliver a
human scale? An integrated and collaborative approach between design teams and user groups enables spatial organisation that supports a less stressful patient journey, a more efficient workflow and inclusive community engagement. Ideally, interior architects should be involved in hospital design projects from the concept stage. In global design practices where expertise is available from an international network, a collaborative approach also underpins knowledge sharing and integration of learning from previous projects. Varying experience and understanding of cultural requirements based on user feedback is also valuable. At its core, every project requires a clear vision and a strong organisational design concept, which is seamlessly integrated within its context. In the design of large hospitals, it is important to create clear spatial organisation from the beginning through the creation of hierarchies and the development of a constellation of landmark spaces. This helps wayfinding for each user community. A zoned approach also enables the
design team to address a very human impulse – the desire for variety. Developing a varied series of landmarks within a healthcare interior provides an antidote to an institutional aesthetic,
Velimira Drummer
Velimira Drummer is a senior architect and associate with more than 20 years’ experience in interior architecture. She heads the interiors group at Stantec,
London, leading major international projects. Velimira is adept at drawing on local design aesthetics to create interiors that promote a sense of community through contemporary, timeless and culturally appropriate
design. Her work is characterised by a harmony of form, material, colour and purpose. She has a particular interest in the interior architecture of healthcare environments and how well designed environments can positively affect
patient outcomes and staff wellbeing and efficiencies. Her notable award winning projects include the New Cancer Centre at Guy’s Hospital, South West Acute Hospital, The Tunbridge Wells Hospital at Pembury and Newcastle Hospitals PFI.
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