Interior design: Healing Architecture
The light of dawn penetrating through the large windows and soft music playing in the background - this is not the image that flashes across your mind when you think of a hospital, but its time you change that perception. More and more hospitals today understand the importance of ‘healing architecture’, a concept which is gradually making its presence on Indian shores.
How Healthy is Healthy?
“We do healing design which you refer to as ‘healing architecture’,” clarifies Hussain Varawalla, Senior Architect, HOSMAC, Mumbai. “I would define it as creating environments that make you feel good. To a certain extent, we generalise by saying that if you feel good you will ‘heal’ faster. I do not think in that sense that a surgical wound will heal faster, but your mind will heal faster,” adds Varawalla. So, basically, it means that an environment that accentuates the healing process is ‘healthy’. “Healthy-hospital design is a harmonious blend of nature and architecture, that promotes health and aids early recovery in those who are sick,” echoes Dr Shakti Gupta, Author of Modern Trends in Planning and Designing of Hospitals, Principle and Practice.
But to what extent can a building actually augment the healing process? The argument is that patients get personal attention from the staff only few times in a day and are left alone most of the time. This is where an environment can play a contributory factor to their sense of well-being and actual recovery. “The quality of space in such buildings affects the outcome of medical care, and architectural design, thus playing an important role in the healing process. Hospitals should provide a cheerful, inviting ambience, and a caring and healing environment,” says Rajeev Pathni, Resident Administrator, AIIMS, New Delhi.
In a case study at South Downs Health NHS Trust in Brighton, UK, it was found that the original accommodation for the mentally ill comprised 15-bed wards in typical Victorian brick institutional buildings with high ceilings. These were replaced with a new medium secure mental healthcare building, using only single rooms and now known as Mill View Hospital Hove. In the newly-designed wards, patients showed significantly higher levels of satisfaction with respect to their surroundings. Ratings given by patients for the newer hospitals were significantly higher for appearance, overall design and spatial organisation. Patients were particularly pleased with their own private area, whether it was a room of their own, or a bay in a multiple bed ward. Significantly, more patients in the newer wards felt that the environment had helped them feel better.
Remarkably, patients also gave significantly better ratings to the actual treatment. They also thought more highly of the staff treating them. In most cases, these were actually the same people treating them! Some of these differences were not statistically significant, but the overall picture is clear. In a mental health hospital, it is normal to record patient behaviour, including all instances of verbal and physical abuses. These results are quite remarkable as well. While the number of incidents of verbal and physical abuse remained largely the same, their severity dropped significantly in the new wards. The number of instances of patients injuring themselves reduced to two-thirds. Patients who become distressed and are considered a danger to themselves are normally put for a period into seclusion in a safe room under intense supervisory care. The amount of time for such cases was reduced by a remarkable 70 per cent in the new unit with an average reduction of nine days, from 13 to four in a typical stay. A clear and consistent picture emerges. Patients in new buildings seem to spend less time in the hospital and appear to feel less physical pain and are psychologically calmer.
Looks do Matter
“It is important that a hospital does not exude a ’sick building syndrome’”
- Henning Lensch
Managing Partner
RRP Architects & Engineers
Munich
Without a doubt, the moment you enter a hospital it is the look you judge. Even though it may not have much to do with the kind of treatment or efficiency, aesthetics do go a long way in determining the preference of that hospital. “It is important that a hospital does not exude a ’sick building syndrome’ with artificial air-conditioning systems, which might also cause infections and other hazards,” explains Henning Lensch, Managing Partner RRP Architects & Engineers, Munich, Germany.
Most hospitals use artwork and graphics to have a cheerful look and exude warmth. Though it need not necessarily come under the confines of ‘healing-architecture’, nevertheless it is a significant factor in making a patient or a visitor comfortable when they enter the premises of a hospital. “Artwork gives a sense of warmth and nobility to the space,” agrees Surendra Hiranandani, MD, Hiranandani Group. The walls of Hiranandani hospital are decorated with nature paintings with various hues.
But there are limitations as well, architects believe. “Graphics and art can be important in a paediatric hospital, but our parameters change as we age,” says Sandip Agarwal, Director, Edifice, a Mumbai-based architectural firm. But what if one can add an element of art with an aspect of ‘healing’? Bangalore’s Columbia Asia Hospital is a good example. It has used art work from a Malaysian artist who has made paintings as per Feng Shui. “I don’t really know the relevance it has, in terms of healing, but yes, they are said to ‘harmonise’ with the elements of the surrounding. For us, they help in giving a bright look to the hospital,” says Tufan Ghosh, CEO of Columbia Asia Hospital.
source:http://www.expresspharmaonline.com
