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aprille-spatial-design · 4 years

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This project addresses the psychological impacts of the hospital’s physical environment on patients and their families. It seeks to enhance patient experience and well-being through considered design of hospital spaces, through the implementation of a care-guiding system that utilises elements of colour, texture, nature and positive distractions. The site that I have selected is the Wellington Children’s Hospital. The design will be implemented initially in the waiting room area as it is one of the main transitioning points in the children’s journey from home into the hospital. Through thoughtful design, there is an opportunity to create a nurturing environment where children and their families feel a sense of belonging and control, and enjoy a more positive and healing experience.

Hospital spaces need to be designed for children so that they are easily read and allow them to find their way around and remember routes. For my design, and beginning with the waiting room, I will construct a narrative which will act as a care-guiding system for families and their children to find their way around the hospital through different touch points. Colours, texture and symbol referencing will be used in certain areas to differentiate and identify zones and functions. Colour referencing can be used on furnishings etc to define an activity of the space. By combining the colours with landmarks, children can have enhanced memory of routes and spaces. This can be a great help to help children feel a sense of place, safety, reassurance and belonging.

Connecting children with the architectural features through physical participation and natural landscape elements enhance the satisfaction of the experience within the space and helps stay in their memory. Visual playful elements will be used to stimulate children’s imagination, providing positive distractions, keeping occupants in good spirits, while also helping parents stay calm.

My project will be investigating the links between the built environment and the attitudes of the patients. Addressing the areas which had the most impact on themselves and their families. When patients were asked to describe a patient friendly environment, Most responses had common themes of :

- Accessibility

- Privacy

- Personal space

- Something to occupy their minds

- Sense of security and comfort

Negative feedback included an environment where :

- facilities that were not easily accessible

- where the physical layout of the hospital lacked communication and connection with others.

Loss of independence and a lack of control within the space was an issue, highlighting the importance of the layout of the wards. One of the most important aspects was being able to feel at home.

For this project I am creating a care guiding system with the waiting area being my focus area to address these issues, allowing people to engage with the space and with others, to have a sense of control over their actions while also providing positive distractions for children and their families creating a comforting and welcoming environment to help children adjust from their home into the hospital.

The physical environment factors of health care systems have a huge impact on a child's wellbeing “Physical attributes contribute to the meaning of place by supporting or inhibiting the individual's ability to control, personalise and have meaningful relationships in the space. Having a major affect over the child's feelings and behaviours. “Children seek adventure and challenge, they explore places and enjoy transforming spaces to create imaginary worlds.” (Tovey, 2007). Within health care environments children need space where they can play but also smaller, quiet spaces for their own privacy providing opportunities for independence but also a place where they can return to when necessary. The use of colour and lighting has a huge impact on the atmosphere of a room having a great impact on children. “The sense of touch is directly related to cognitive development, and colour has far-reaching effects which influence behaviour.”( Maxwell and Evans, 2002). Cool colours tend to have calming effects and warm colours create warmth and excitement for children. This research shows that children have positive reactions to bright colours such as pink, blue, yellow and negative emotions for dark colours eg. Black, brown, grey. A hospital should be a nurturing place that encourages positivity, the use of colour can create energy that is uplifting and positive energy. Colours offer opportunity for positive distraction and can be used to highlight points of orientation.

It’s important for children to be able to navigate their way around the hospital, spaces, corners, directions can be designed to attract their attention so they will recall the spaces easily. Memory of space is the critical link to connecting us to the place. In a hospital environment things can seem disjointed and overwhelming for children when there is a lack of communication and connection within spaces. “Children struggle with a limited collection of memories and fail to connect places to each other.”(Ibrahimi, Nada & Cuedari, 2019 ) This makes it difficult for them to find their way around and remember routes. When we are connected with the site we know the directions and feel comfortable and feel more in control. Hospital spaces need to be designed for children so that they are easily read. Connecting children with physical participation with the architectural features and natural landscape elements enhance the satisfaction of the experience within the space and helps stay in their memory.

A way to achieve this can be used through using colours, textures and symbols on certain floors is a method used in hospitals to differentiate each space to help identify each zone. Using different colours referencing an activity of the room including the furnishings can help children find their way. Combining the colours with landmarks can be a great help to help children feel a sense of place. Elements of the physical environment that children are using can help increase their perception of the space therefore creating more of a comforting atmosphere, helping the process of recovery. An “enriched environment also serves as a distraction from pain helping to concentrate on other activities.”( Ibrahimi, Nada & Cuedari, 2019 ). This care guide system will use colours making the differing environments recognisable, creating connection with the spaces, it strengthens the position in the mental map of the children’s mind and stimulates the memory.

The use of nature elements can speak to children and help provide a therapeutic atmosphere for those visiting the hospital creating an enjoyable experience. Built environments infused with the experience of nature can speak to children and help provide therapeutic benefits for those visiting the hospital and help with the healing process. One major response from families who visited the hospital empathises the importance of privacy for themselves, intimacy with their family and faculties for visiting children. A parent stating that children get bored easily and can start to get restless which may cause distress to other patients and surrounding families. ( Douglas, Calbert H 2004.)

The Royal Children’s Hospital is a great example of a healthcare system that meets the needs of children and their families through design. Using elements from the natural surroundings of the site such as natural textures, forms and colours of the park create an enriching and restorative environment for children, families and the staff. Inviting the human touch, de institutionalising the hospital genre. Colour is used as a wayfinding strategy which carries a narrative of the many landscapes that make up the state of Victoria. Each colour is used to define each level representing a different environment through graphics, paint, joinery, vinyl, furniture and soft furnishings. Using this coordinated approach results in engaging uplifting ranges of interior, providing patients with positive distractions. The Royal children’s hospital in Melbourne has a wide ride and positive distractions linking the hospital together inviting the community together through a variety of public spaces to meet and eat, performance spaces, playgrounds, meerkat enclosures and aquariums built within the building, large scale artworks and interactive video screens. These elements all act as positive distractions for all age groups, with various activities and visual stimulation it engages with the children and families coming in and out of the hospital. Drawing inspiration from The Royal children’s hospital in Melbourne, the internal spatial experience has been assembled to promote a restore and healing environment for children and their families. Using this information I will be looking at how I can bring in colour, light and texture through a narrative which will act as a care guide-system for children and their families through the hospital at ease. I will be using the Royal children’s hospital as a framework for this projects, creating a narrative which will help guide children and their families through the hospital, separating each ward with an altering environment which conveys a story .I am particularly interested in the use of positive distractions within hospital environments and will use this throughout the points in the hospital.

I have chosen the waiting area as my focus point for this 2 week project as it acts as one of the main transitional stages for children and families entering the hospital. The waiting room should be equipped for the children’s and families wellbeing, accommodating care for children of a range of different ages. “The connection of wellbeing and how the rooms are equipped suggests that children’s well-being relates to the activities the premises allow and invite, such as play, relaxation, being entertained or distracted from the issue at hand.” (Olsson and Kläferud, Chap. 3). The layout of the waiting room interior, placing of furnishing, colour and lighting allows different functions in relation to each other. When reviewed, the perceived waiting time was found to be more determined by the patient's experience within the spaces than the actual amount of time they were waiting. Within these waiting areas the perceived wait time can play a huge factor on one's emotional state, contributing to feelings of stress, fear, anxiety, and pain.

Having visual interventions within waiting areas has revealed to have significant behaviour benefits, decreasing restless behaviour and socialisation increasing. Having a screen which attracted the patients attention decreased the number of people staring at each other which is a common issue within waiting areas as it has implications for one's privacy. Having a positive distraction such as a video playing creates a more calming environment.Cabrini Hospital in Melbourne, uses led characterful wall art to greet visitors bringing a warmth and a moment of happiness to patients during difficult circumstances. Situated at the entrance of the hospital ward the graphics move with the movement and touch of children, patients and staff, triggering animations of landscapes and animals to bring joy to children. This mural was designed to positively affect the mood and ambience of the hospital, specific demographics require a unique space, this is achieved through brightness, a slower speed of animation, refined colour plays a tribute as well.

My project will consider these physical environment factors, focusing on the children and their families at the heart of the design. Focusing on the waiting area as a key point of my caregiving system, I have identified the importance of the use of colour, layout, furnishing, positive distraction and privacy within the hospital environment.

My design : I have designed seating pods which are carved into the walls. This provides privacy for families and can be a safe place for children to nest in if they’re feeling overwhelmed. Tables can be used for a variety of activities, kids can sit, play, draw within. Colour lines these pods to create a friendly atmosphere softening the space. I’ve used organic shapes for the hallows as I didn’t want to use harsh lines to disrupt the space, creating a natural theme to the room. In the centre of the waiting room has a varied range of seating which are all curved and smooth creating comfort for families and to offer freedom to move around the space. On the far wall is an interactive screen which has natural elements such as plants and animals which are activated with movement in touch offering patients positive distinctions. As they wait for their name to be called they can watch and play with the characters on the wall, forming a positive connection with the room.

References :

Tovey, H. (2007). Playing outdoors: Spaces and places, risks and challenge (debating play). Maidenhead: Open University Press.

U.S. General Services Administration Public Buildings Service. (2003). Child care center design guide (PBS 3425-13). Washington, DC.

Olsson AM.E., Kläfverud M. (2017) To Be Summoned to Barnahus: Children’s Perspectives. In: Johansson S., Stefansen K., Bakketeig E., Kaldal A. (eds) Collaborating Against Child Abuse. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham

Douglas, Calbert H., and Mary R. Douglas. “Patient-Friendly Hospital Environments: Exploring the Patients’ Perspective.” Health Expectations 7, no. 1 (March 2004): 61–73. https://doi.org/10.1046/j.1369-6513.2003.00251.x.

Ibrahimi, Nada & Cuedari, Ani & Nepravishta, Florian. (2019). NEURO-ARCHITECTURE AND PLACEMAKING THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN THE BUILT ENVIRONMENT AND BRAIN.

“Https://Www.Detail-Online.Com/Article/Nature-Inspired-Design-the-Royal-Childrens-Hospital-in-Melbourne-16520/),” n.d.

(https://www.batessmart.com/bates-smart/projects/sectors/health/the-new-royal-childrens-hospital-interiors/)

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