Interior Design And Graphics In Hospitals

G D Kunders

Interior design may be defined as the conscious designing of man-made spaces – a planned choice of style, colour, furniture, etc for the inside of a building. Although man’s desire to create a pleasant environment for himself is as old as civilisation itself, interior design as it is conceptualised and practised today is a relatively new field. It is a specialised branch of architecture or environmental design. In some advanced countries where this profession is well established, it is known as interior architecture.

In the early times ‘interior decoration’ and ‘interior decorator’ were popular terms in this field. So loosely were these terms used and that anyone could print a card and call himself an interior decorator or decorator-designer. Decorators lacked comprehensive understanding of architecture, engineering, lighting, ventilation and air-conditioning which automatically restricted their sphere of activity. They were hired largely to do colour work and colour coordination and in the selection of draperies, carpets and walls. The term interior design, however, indicates a broader area of activity and is used by a person who has received professional training in interior design. Today, it enjoys the status of a serious profession and boasts of a number of specialised areas and design firms specialised in those areas. The one-time American Institute of Decorators has since changed its name to American Institute of Designers – in keeping with this metamorphosis.

HARMONY AMONG ELEMENTS

Interior design should not be considered in isolation. There are many elements that make up the totality. Interior and exterior spaces are interrelated and there should be harmony among the various elements such as the structural aspects of a building, site planning, landscaping, furniture, architectural graphics and interior details. Experts believe that “the best buildings and the best interiors are those in which there is no visible disparity between the many elements that make up the totality.” Natural style of landscape architecture – explained below – that became popular in England in the 19th century and continued into the 20th century is now widely used by modern architects in their attempts to unify interior and exterior spaces.

There are two styles of landscape architecture – the formal style and the natural style. A garden with its paths crossing at right angles, flower pots laid out in geometric patterns, and its balanced groups of trees and shrubs is a good example of the formal style. The natural style on the other hand seeks to imitate nature rather than impose artificial patterns upon it. This means that the trees, shrubs and flowers are allowed to grow in their natural shapes and settings. This is the style we are concerned with in interior design.

By and large all architects are also interior designers. Specialist interior designers on the other hand are those who have undergone professional training in a school or college that offers recognised courses. However, unlike the architects and the engineers, they may not be required to hold a licence to practice. Where a professional interior designer is hired for a project, the architect usually concerns himself with the overall design of buildings, and the interior designer is concerned with the more intimate aspects of design, and the specific aesthetic, functional and psychological questions as well as the individual character of spaces.

INTERIOR DESIGN IN HOSPITALS

The work on the interior design of a new hospital begins, or rather should begin, with the architectural concepts in the early design stage and end with the owners taking over the building. In a commercial or residential building, the promoter just builds and sells or leases shell space and the buyer or the tenant fits out the interior. Not so in the case of a hospital. It has to be fitted out before it is made operational. Sadly, however, hospitals are remiss?? in this respect. Not much attention is paid to interior design and furnishings until long after the hospital building is completed.

It was not until recently that the need for interior design, much less the hiring of a professional interior designer, was considered important to the effective functioning of the hospital. Those were the days when it was commonplace to refer to a sterile, dull-looking building as ‘looking like a hospital’. In the prevailing attitude towards interior design in healthcare institutions, engaging the services of an interior designer was out of the question. So, hospitals asked the supplier of equipment and furniture to ‘decorate the hospital’ or provide their own interior design services.

All this while, great changes were taking place in the field of building hospitals and in the attitude of people towards healthcare. Advancements in medical technology, newer and sophisticated equipment and, more importantly, the realisation that hospitals should be built not only to cure mankind’s physical and mental ills, but also to meet patient’s emotional and aesthetic needs brought about dramatic changes in building healthcare facilities. A growing efficiency was witnessed in constructing hospital buildings to meet these new challenges. Modern medical science also recognises that attractive surroundings have a positive therapeutic effect on the patient. On the contrary, a room in which the walls are peeled and the furniture chipped may have a negative impact. It is believed to lessen the patient’s ambition to get well and thereby lengthen convalescence. It was rightly felt therefore that a hospital couldn’t be built without highly skilled professional architects and engineers, nor should its interior be designed without skilled interior designers.

A WELCOMING AND PLEASING LOBBY

The main lobby of the hospital is a good place to illustrate the above point. The lobby for the most part is the first point of contact with the hospital for patients and visitors. It sets the tone for their visit. It is here that they form their first opinion about the hospital. If they are depressed by the look of a cluttered and untidy lobby, they will be disposed to carry a negative impression about the kind of treatment they or their dear ones are going to receive in the hospital. The first impressions may be decisive and lasting ones too. Therefore the lobby should not only be orderly and well appointed it should also be bright and colourful – consistent, of course, with the architectural background.

SCOPE OF INTERIOR DESIGN

Certain areas of the hospital such as the operating rooms are strictly functional. However, the patients’ rooms, outpatient clinics, common areas and many other facilities of the hospital are very much within the scope of interior design.

Over the years, the influence of environment upon human behavior has been increasingly recognised. This in turn brought about increased emphasis on interior design for hospital’s interiors. When it comes to aesthetic consideration in a hospital, the most important thing to bear in mind is its appropriateness. The interior design of a club, for instance, is hardly appropriate for a hospital or, for that matter, that of a hospital for a classroom. These are complex relationships involving psychological and aesthetic factors.

Of all the component elements that form a completed interior, the single most important element is the space. Some call it “the raw material which must be moulded and shaped with the designer’s tools of colour, texture, light and scale.” Space can speak; it can be exhilarating, serene, and cheerful.

On the other hand it can be depressing, dreary or distasteful. The designer should consider the effect his work, which will have on the emotional state of patients, their families, visitors and personnel.

Hospital’s interior is different from the interior of other organisations. For example, space planning for a business firm is a significant aspect of office design and is concerned primarily with planning, allocation of spaces, and inter-relations between offices and departments. In a large corporate office, the clerical, accounting and filing areas are designed with a focus on lighting, efficiency, space and function with few frills or design features.

The executive suites, reception areas and conference rooms on the other hand are elaborately and luxuriously designed since they serve as images for the corporations as well as status symbol for their bosses. In the hospital, however, the emphasis is on emotional and aesthetic needs of patients.

There is one danger though. Designers are often tempted to over-design or “style” the interior rather than design it. This could be harmful in the hospital set-up.

The writer is hospital management consultant and author.

E-mail: gdk@vsnl.net