A View To A Garden

The Group Space and Patient Care Room

Central Regional Hospital Design Development One

I based my concept on the moment of the shade tree. I look to the shade tree for the revitalizing moment one experiences while lying on fresh green grass, patches of dirt, encircling roots and a cool earthy scent in the breeze. The proposed spaces are to comprise this moment through components that influence, connect and govern each other.

The existing group room is primarily white, composed of a television amongst multiple chairs and tables. This perspective exemplifies my concept through the central unifying element “the plant slant;” systems of the room reverberate and connect to this element, other systems continue the connection, thus generating a network comparable to the roots, the grass, the dirt, and the atmosphere of the shade tree. A subtle division of space is created along with a slanted planter for fine grasses. On either side of this divider is a tabled area with chairs and a wall mounted television. The other side features built in seating and a comfort circle for cushions and pillows. On the right of the room is the “Art Aedicule” which is at such a height that children may post and observe their art at any angle desired. Patches responding to the central space litter the floor, among them are chalkboard painted patches for decorative expression.

The patient room features more cove lighting centered on the modular bed and storage units. The storage and bed are modular in that they do not reach the walls so that they can be arranged and placed in any patient room. The curve motif shown in hallway elevations is used as a way-finding element to identify individual patient rooms. This curve then transforms into an overhead light and art display above the built-in bed nook. A camera/kaleidoscope light display allows for calming intimate atmosphere when the patient/client may feel agitated or uneasy while providing an inconspicuous mode of observation.

Lighting:

The existing fluorescent bulbs are very direct and harsh on the eyes, and the reflective white floors only work to increase the intensity. Much like the "Spine" corridor that runs the whole hospital, I would like to use cove lighting on the edges of the ceilings to create a softer space. In many of the spaces with windows to the outside I have slanted the ceiling so that light seemingly explodes from windows enlarging spaces.

Materials:

Natural materials are important in that they establish a connection to nature allowing the client a connection to the universe as well as for their abilities in reacting to natural light. For example use of sandstone flooring will be placed where sunlight meets the floor most prominently. Walking barefoot on warm sandstone as I did during a class trip to India was an experience in itself entirely different to what one might compare to warm cement. Having a multi-textural experience seeks to offset the regimented order that may ensue from such an institutional space. Cool blue Terazzo flooring will make up the rest of the space. Accents of walls and storage components will be made of pale species woods. Long dark heavy timbers stretch along walls providing support for and influence on various systems.

The shade tree informs our deepest need for acceptance, yet despite all of the dirt and hard roots, it is all seemingly clean and harmless. A focus much like this must be taken with the facility as such regimented institutional practices may potentially suppress our creative, inquisitive minds to further disorder.

Central Regional Hospital Peer Evaluations

Katie O'Boyle

Katie's concept is based on the changing seasons of the year as a metaphor for how the children of the hospital will grow and heal. This seems to be a very strong concept as the idea of the deconstructed child emerging revitalized echoes the changing of seasons, winter to spring. The patient room that I saw of Katie's featured many built-in storage units at a height and scale of a child. The walls were a subdued dark blue and green with a section of wall where the child's art may be hung by velcro. The velcro wall seems to be an innovative solution to hanging the child's art and is in itself very seasonal in its ability to change according to the client's need (or mood). My suggestion is that Katie frame this velcro section off or have elements of it respond to the rest of the room so that it is cohesive. One idea would be to create an interesting design for the shelves of the storage units and then carry that over to the sectioning and framing of the velcro.

Ino Loloci

Ino bases his design around his "bird's nest" concept. In this metaphor, the parent birds are the nurses and doctors, and the patients are the hatchlings. In Ino's sketches, the value of the nest form is evident as seating is arranged in a circle by the large windows. He also has a blue table placed in the middle of this arrangement to perhaps signify the point of focus during group sessions. The materials of the design are meant to introduce the clients/patients to softer more natural materials than what is available. Colors in the space are light blue accents coupled the red, blue, and yellow primary colors. Plants in various planters will also be placed about the space.

Based on some of Ino's model work I saw built-in cabinet storage units, as well as a small slide placed in the corner of one of the patient/client rooms. Although this slide idea seems pretty good for child interaction, the slide I saw was very short and small, also activities like that are often more social and fun in the company of others. It might be nice to place the slide in one of the activity rooms or group room. I also noticed that many of the furniture components are placed without much relation to the overall design or do not seem to connect together well at this point. A system of forms, objects and services could be put in place that implies the unity that the bird's nest is about. Multiple parts must be strung together, not necessarily always in a circle, but so that an environmental system is established.

CRH Design Schematic

I decided to focus on the "Shade Tree" as my concept. I look to it not so much for aesthetic inspiration but for the revitalizing moment underneath while laying on fresh green grass, patches of dirt, encircling roots and a cool earthy scent in the breeze. I want to create the same moment in my space made up of multiple parts that influence, connect and govern each-other. In the first illustration set below I have my central unifying element of the group room called the slant wall. To exemplify how my concept plays out I will have systems of the room reverberate and connect to this element, then systems from those systems will make the same connection, thus generating a network comparable to the roots, the grass, the dirt, and the climate of the shade tree.

Lighting:

The existing fluorescent bulbs are very direct and harsh on the eyes, and the reflective white floors only work to increase the intensity. Much like the "Spine" corridor that runs the whole hospital, I would like to use cove lighting on the edges of the ceilings to create a softer space. In many of the spaces with windows to the outside I have slanted the ceiling so that light seemingly explodes from windows enlarging spaces.

Materials:

Natural materials are important in that they establish a connection to nature allowing the client a connection to the universe as well as for their abilities in reacting to natural light. For example use of sandstone flooring will be placed where sunlight hits the floor most prominently. Walking barefoot on warm sandstone as I did during a trip to India was an experience in itself entirely different to what one might compare to warm cement. Terazzo flooring in the rest of the space and hallways will be in a cool blue/gray. Accents of walls and storage components will be made of pale species woods. Long dark heavy timbers will stretch along walls providing support for various systems.

Children's Mental Health Concept Study

In my concept exploration I started out with what seem to be some of the fundamental parts to the healing system: familiarity (to the child's home environment), comfort, as well as ways to make the child feel normal: by granting some sense of growth, as well as connection to the outside universe.

I've given some thought to ways to provide growth and connection to nature first through the idea of a small fast-growing plant placed in a planter outside of the child's window. The plant is used as a metaphor to show the child's growth through his treatment as well as some semblance of connection with another organism and the outside natural world. The child can name the plant, and during outside time (depending on the state of the child) either the child or a nurse can water the plant once a day. The mental connection between the child and the plant is something that cannot be broken or taken away despite the intangibility of the glass and metal that separates. The fragility of the plant also conveys the sense that in the face of disaster and breakdown hope is never lost and growth must take place.

Another idea is to replace the observation windows to patient rooms with small fish tanks. Observation is brought to a more innocent level where a connection is established between the child and his fish as well as a connection between the child and his nurse through his dependence on her for the feeding and maintaining of the fish. This may lead to less aggravated retaliation of patients on nurses. Patients may learn to respect their environments as the environments of the fish and the plant are fragile; metaphors for the repercussions constant aggravation and instability can have on others and the outside environment.

The questions outlined on our exploration hand-outs were very helpful in helping me distill the needs of the children, staff and the space.

What does the space desire to be?

What should its identity be?

What is the type of experience I want to provide to users of the facility?

What can I take from the existing site to design in the most economical way?

The potential concepts I have arrived at are sand dune, pond, and shade tree.

The pond is a metaphor for the intangible, that life often contains wanting and not having but still having connection to. Many things within the facility are intangible to the patient as many components are encased or unavailable without supervision. Perhaps this inability of the child to truly touch the TV or cut his/her food can be used to the treatment's advantage through the above stated plant and fish ideas.

Sand dunes are attractive for their warmth as well as their "ability" to change shape despite their stationary presence. Sand dunes grade light in that surfaces change in subtle odd ways. Sand dunes are stark but provide a place to meditate. The layering of sand also provides some insight to filtered light components much like what is already seen in "the Spine" corridor.

Children love to watch, marvel and explore spaces with... multiple spaces. The "moment" of the shade tree is something that is made of many components. The shade tree is in a soft grassy place; there is a light breeze, the smell of earth and grass is in the air; there are patches in the ground of soft dirt, twigs, and roots. Yet despite all of the dirt and hard roots, It is all seemingly clean and harmless. A focus much like this must be taken with the facility as such regimented institutional practices may potentially suppress our creative, inquisitive minds to further disorder.

One glaring omission of the visiting experience to Central Regional Hospital was actually seeing the children in their element. Observing how they act, move, and engage the environment, each other and nurses/staff (not to say that they would all act the same) would have been very beneficial to our holistic experience of learning the existing space. However, for good reason we were not to come into contact with patients due to potential aggravation.

I desperately need to identify my client as children with mental instabilities is something I know nothing about and something I've given little thought to. If I were to design for a basketball player who likes to cook, or a skate boarder who loves dogs I would have a good idea on what is desired without necessarily meeting the client. I hope to read (and watch) a few more articles like this TIME article which illustrates the disturbing anarchic atmosphere that I am sure must occur within some mental hospitals.