Healing Environments
Creating places where healing can take place
Hospitals
Many new clinics today are the result of merging several existing clinics. This is intended to create synergies, both from an economic point of view and due to the shortage of nursing staff. Clinics are thus combining more and more functions and specialist areas. This makes functionality, cost-effectiveness and successful design all the more important.
Functional architecture on a human scale
Hospitals must function at their best: The physical structure and layout of the building should facilitate efficient processes. In addition to these functional and economic requirements, it is essential that we design a state of the art hospital, a "healing environment" that helps patients to recover more quickly.
We understand the diverse, sometimes conflicting perspectives of staff and patients and as such, aim to achieve harmony between efficiency, hygienic requirements and a warm, beneficial atmosphere.
Hospitals as a place of work ...
As a place of work, a hospital must be based on lean logistics, high-tech equipment and practicality. Distances must be kept to a minimum and the building must be tailored to the movements and the human requirements of the employees.
...and a place to stay
We go into hospitals during the most challenging situations in our lives. A hospital must therefore reduce the potential for stress for its patients, who are particularly vulnerable at these times. Good hospital architecture is as unthreatening, comfortable and stress-free as possible. A good hospital not only provides patients with a comfortable and restful place to stay, but also offers them opportunities to remain active and enjoy themselves.
The hospital as a healing environment
Many patients have to stay in hospital for an extended period of time, and often they are not able to leave their room or even their bed. This makes it all the more important for patients to be able to experience the outside world as much as possible - through references to the outside space, views of the surroundings, transparency. Unrestricted accessibility maintains the patient's mobility as well as possible - with the aim of ensuring the most positive experience possible and a rapid recovery.
Another important consideration when creating a healing environment is the use of colour and materials. We draw on a wide range of products, especially developed for use in hospitals, which combine various properties: for example, floor coverings that are antibacterial and extremely resistant, or textiles that reduce background noise thereby contribute considerably to patient comfort.
Our design principles
Planning with the users for the users
As hospital planners our approach is user-centric - we involve the hospital staff right from the start. Based on the resulting analysis of needs and processes, we work together to develop a tailor-made operative concept that defines the ideal arrangement of each department in detail.
Intelligent planning for an economical solution
We combine our findings with an economical solution that closely monitors operating costs. A higher initial investment is often the more economically viable long-term solution, as future energy and cleaning costs can be reduced through sustainable planning.
Our mission: rapid recovery of patients, satisfied staff, economical hospitals.
The ideal solution for building hospitals is defined by the fact that the economic restrictions, constraints and dependencies that characterised the planning process are no longer noticeable. Instead, the experience is one where it is clear that the healing and well-being of the patient are of paramount importance.
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