salutogenic design

Rikshospitalet University Hospital by Arvid Ottar (2004)
Much research has confirmed how hospitals with impractical layouts can stress patients and yet many new hospital designs still integrate unecessarily complex traffic patterns. Bad signage, blind staircases and dark corridors are just some of the recurring themes. The Rikshospitalet University Hospital however facilitates refreshingly good access and orientation. Inspired by the theme of a village, the hospital is laid out along an internal mainstreet punctuated by fountains, lampposts and sculptures. These devices not only visually stimulate patients but also act as reference points. At the end of the street is a vibrantly colouredstained glass, and a skylight spans the length of the main street, allowing soft light to bathe the corridors.

C02 Heatlh Centre by Ishii Kazuhiro (2000)
The concept of "Design Therapeutics", a confluence of Architecture and Neuroscience, i.e. Buildings Designed for Health, is becoming increasingly relevant in healthcare design. Traditionally however, heatlhcare architects use nature to provide stand-alone biophilic content, thus the buildings themselves are rarely therapeutic. This norm is challenged in projects like Kazuhiro's Co2 health centre, where real trees become integral to the buildings structure, erupting into the internal space itself to anchor a tensile fabric roof system.

Pioneer Health Centre by S. Williamson & I. Pearse (1935)
One of the most refreshing takes on design therapeutics materialised at the Pioneer Heatlh Centre, London. Although now converted into loft apartments, the prime motication for Williamson & Pearse wasconduct an experiment into the effect of environment on health. The Pioneer Health Centre (or Peckham Health Centre) was a bold departure in the medical field concentrating on a preventative (salutogenic), rather than a curative (pathogenic) approach to health. A giant swimming pool, covered by a glazed roof, was at the heart of the Centre. This, combined with long stretches of almost uninterrupted windows allowed light in.

Finsbury Health Centre by Berthold Lubetkin (1938)
Similar to Berthold Lubetkin's Finsbury Health Centre three years later, light was considered key to a healthier life. The windows could slide back to maximise the members' exposure to light and fresh air. Floors were covered in cork so that children could wander around barefoot, and other surfaces were left exposed and unadorned.

Comments

[Joe Leighton]

That may be the case - however it could be argued that human-made fractal architectures (both virtual and actual) can also have a therapeutic effect on human cognition, as Salingaros has noted: “the parallel between built fractal patterns and possible cerebral organization is too strong to be a coincidence."

Salingaros, N., “Biophilic Design: The Theory, Science and Practice of Bringing Buildings to Life” (John Wiley, 2008) p.59