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.

Psychiatric Hospital Precedent Studies

The most helpful information I've been able to find regarding children's care and design is in the Denver Colorado Children's Hospital. There is an interactive page that is packed with information based on solutions to common hospital/institution problems.

I'm also looking at the Helsingor Psychiatric Hospital in Denmark for ideas on color, light integration, furniture type and placement as well as turning institutional stereotypes over.

The Garden Benches

To further my understanding of the Powers of Ten I decided to focus on a community/student garden project involving the manufacture of bench/storage pieces. To emphasize the notion of community I began working off of a spiral idea as its ascension is relative to its origin and the circular form unifies those within. The benches must unify the people working around them in the garden as well as have a story of connection built into their design. I decided to imply this aesthetic connection by breaking the spiral so that one's imagination and curiosity completes the spiral. This break also functions to allow both people and wheelbarrows free traversal.

Connecting The Powers of Ten

The Powers of Ten is most significant within the context of the Eames’ quote: “Eventually everything connects.” It is evident that design for the Eames was not a job or purpose, but a necessary part of life. The connection of life experiences made its way into all of the Eames’ designs. While filming a documentary on pottery making, the Eames found incentive to their “organic chair.”

The connection between the audience and the subject of the film is made instantly as with no prior explanation the narrator sets off with a patterned set of steps based on a number all humans can relate to. The connection to humans; human relation in scale is the subject of the film just as human relation to designed objects is the designer’s primary concern. Although we are dragged out into the deepest known reaches of the universe we are not without a sense of place, as the zoomed out pan of the camera is based on the introductory metric square one man may fit within. Just as atoms form molecules; molecules to cells and cells to organs, we are but a unit to the earth, which is a unit of the galaxy. The units we design must always make conscious connections to the governing system we manufacture.

The film presents us with perspectives we have never experienced before and the significance of humanity, the earth and the sun is brought to the size of a pea. The film dictates that the impulses of design can be found deep within the cells of our bodies or on the contours of the skeletal membrane of an ant. If we look close enough; imagine far enough design’s connection to life will become self evident.

Exploring The Powers of Ten

Above are images regarding my exploration of the Powers of Ten. I mostly experimented in exploding the scale of ears and noses to try and find new avenues of creative thought. I also made a color study with bold forms and bold colors. I also made a claymation based on the morphing of my nose and ear.