2. Introduction
The healthcare system touches everyone, and
Designers, architects, and psychologists realize
there has to be an environmental shift in the
setting to help the healing process for the patient
and families. The need for well-designed hospitals
is increasing as awareness grows about the way in
which the environment impacts our healing
process Today, designers are attempting to evolve
hospitals from their typical sterile décor into places
of wellness. Studies have proven that natural
light can reduce depression, and that scenes
of nature can reduce reported pain levels.
Evidence based design also proves that building
environment has a huge impact on the delivery of
healthcare.
3. Elements of Design
-Sense of place
-Private rooms
-Nature
-Artwork
-Sound
Image: Michelle Meiklejohn
It is crucial that hospital environments create the
most healing atmosphere possible for the patient
4. In 1903, Dr. August Rollier opened a sunlight clinic in the
Swiss Alps. This clinic was one of the first inspirations
for modernist designers in the 1920’s and 1930’s who
designed hospitals in order to achieve the highest
level of sunlight inside. These ways of thinking about
the need for light and nature were verified with facts in
1984 when a study by Roger Ulrich was published in Sci-
ence Magazine. In this study, Ulrich used forty-six pa-
tients, all undergoing the same gall bladder surgery be-
tween 1971-1981. Twenty- three of the patients had beds
with views of nature; the other twenty-three patients had
views of brick walls. Ulrich controlled all variables such as
age, sex, smokers vs. non, etc. Each “pair” of patients
(one person with a nature view, one person with a brick
wall view) was cared for by the same nurse and received
the same treatment. The study over the course of
those 10 years proved that the patients with the view
of nature left the hospital a whole day sooner then
those with the brick wall view. Also, the patients with
the view of nature required less doses of pain
medication then the patients without the view.
Nature
5. In addition to views of nature, another aspect of new hos-
pital design includes the need for private rooms. The
usual hospital room involves two patients, separated by
only a single curtain. This gives the patient no sense of
privacy, and increases the risk of germs. In a study of
Bronson Methodist Hospital in Kalamazoo, Michigan,
private rooms were given to patients. These rooms
featured well-located sinks and improved airflow
design. Hospital-acquired infections declined 11 %.
Private rooms also help decrease noise level. The Pebble
Project was a study conducted by The Center for Health
Design in California. This study took place at St. Alphon-
sus Regional Medical Center in Boise, Idaho. The
statistics proved that reducing noise levels improved
sleep quality of patients by almost one half.
Private Rooms
and
Sound
6. With facts and studies aforementioned, designers are
seeing the need for change. Current projects in hospital
design are underway, and many successful designs have
already been completed.
SmithGroup is working on Banner Page Hospital in
Page, Arizona. Banner Page is one of the largest non-
profit healthcare systems in the United States. This
hospital will feature light-filled rooms with exterior glass
walls, patient privacy through furniture design ( such as
bed orientation), as well as extra space in the rooms to
accommodate family members.
images from Healthcare Design Magazine
Banner Page
Hospital
7. RTKL Associates is another design firm making incred-
ible strides in hospital design. RTKL has worked on
luxury resorts and hotels, and now is incorporating
similar design principles into hospitals. One of their
projects is The Children’s Medical Center in Dallas, Texas.
The main lobby is built to resemble a solar system. The
hospital also features an outdoor healing garden and art
studio. In Lancaster General Hospital in Lancaster, Penn-
sylvania, the MRI room is set up with nature murals on the
ceilings and walls, helping to ease the stress and anxiety
of the patients.
Children’s Medical Center, Dallas Lancaster General Hospital MRI room
RTKL
8. Priestmangoode, based in London, wrote a
“Health Manifesto” in February 2010. This manifesto ex-
plains, how “hospitals need to be as cost-
efficient to build, run and maintain as possible,
while maximizing standards of quality and
comfort”. Priestmangoode believes that by using the
same principles found in airports, first-class air cabins,
and hotel rooms, better, more efficient patient
environments could be achieved.
“ By choosing the right materials, colours and
lighting, they can be designed to be more
appealing environments that can ultimately
help a patient’s recovery. And the beauty is,
they don’t need to cost more.”
- Priestmangoode (on hospitals)
“Health Manifesto”
Priestmangoode
9. Images & Concepts from the “Health Manifesto”
Inspiration for low-cost, efficient models: Priestmangoode Hotel Room for ETAP-
“Cheap dosen’t mean poor quality”
Sink designed for ETAP Hotel, made from central column
that features electics, water, internet/phone cabling, with
mirror and desk built in.
Inspiration for “Smarter, more multifunctional Use of
Space”
Inspiration for privacy: design of first class Swiss
airline.
“Privacy in every space, for every patient”
10. Gunether 5 Architects, based in New York, focus on de-
signing hospitals using sustainable and local materials.
In addition to the added bonus of sustainability, their de-
signs are meant to feel more like holistic spas rather
then hospitals. Their work includes the maternity floor at
Mount Sinai in New York, and The Beatrice Renfield
Center for Nursing at Beth Israel. Beth Israel features a
quiet, blue, “meditation” room, where patients and family
members can sit and relax during the stress of treatment.
The interior lobby of the hospital features all sustainable
materials, including New York State walnut, copper coil
curtains, and an artist commissioned bench. Guenther 5
also worked on the Maimonides Cancer Center in Brook-
lyn. The center was the recipient of a VISTA Team Award
by The American Society of Healthcare Engineering. The
space integrates medicine practice with “compassion-
ate and healing design, as well as environmen-
tally responsible architecture and interiors”
Their Discovery Health Center in Harris, NY, was the
second LEED-certified healthcare facility in the US.
Gunether 5
13. “Recovery Lounge”
Priestmangoode “Recovery Lounge” Inspirations
With those prior examples of innovative
hospitals, designers must keep looking to the
future and keep finding new ways to create the
optimal hospital environment.
14. At Beth Israel, Donna Karan’s Urban Zen Founda-
tion developed a program that was meant to create a
healing environment and ease the patient experience.
This program features far more then new interior
design elements, in that it also focuses on bringing in
elements of massage, reiki, yoga, and nutrition
therapies to the cancer patients. Donna Karan de-
signed a meditative and relaxing space aimed at
making the patients feel as comfortable as
possible.This was achieved by incorporating a
meditation room for the staff, patients, and family mem-
bers to use. Patients, as well as staff, reported de-
creased stress levels in this healing environment.
Urban Zen Center,
photo from urbanzen.org
15. Conclusion
These new hospital designs are meant to be more then
aesthetically pleasing. They are meant to bring a sense of
healing and wellness to the patients.
Healing spaces and calming interiors aid in
the treatment process, and allow the patient in many
cases to even recover at a faster rate. Hospital spaces
need to be a design priority. Healthcare should come first
in our lives, and in the lives of those we care for- this
should begin with good design.
Rachel Happ
Memorial Sloan- Kettering
Spring 2011 Internship
16. Resources
Campbell, Carol Ann. “Health Outcomes Driving New Hospital
Design.” The New York Times, 19 May 2009.
Gunether 5 Architects
www.g5arch.com
Patterson, Mark. “Toward a New Vocabulary for Healthcare
Design.” Healthcare Design Magazine, February 2009.
Priestmangoode. “The Health Manifesto”. February 2010.
RTKL Architects
www.rtkl.com
Sternberg, Esther M. Healing Spaces. Harvard University Press.
2009.
Urban Zen Foundation
www.urbanzen.og
*cover page photo: Urban Zen Collection.
