Designing a Healthier Tomorrow
DAP HEALTH’S CAMPUS EXPANSION IS CREATING A MORE FAMILIAL ENVIRONMENT FOR BOTH PATIENTS AND CLINICIANS. Words by Lawrence Karol Photos by Donato Di Natale
Even if you’ve never watched a home renovation television show, you’ve most likely heard the familiar design refrain about “bringing the outdoors inside.” But it’s a concept very few people associate with the often impersonal environment of many health care facilities. That’s just one of the numerous reasons why the ongoing redesign and expansion of DAP Health’s 13-acre campus is so unique. “One of the cornerstones of our designs is bringing nature inside and blurring the line between outdoor and indoor to welcome the idea of hope and health,” says Maria Song, a partner at the Palm Springs-based Interactive Design Corporation (IDC), the architectural firm overseeing DAP Health’s expansion. “When opening enclosed spaces, the openings grant a reprieve from the manmade world. The interior environment brings in the exterior with daylight, natural materials such as wood and stone, colors reflecting natural elements such as plants and water, and window openings to soothing views of landscape.” Various research studies offer support for the link between interior design and health care outcomes. In 2019, MultiBriefs — a producer of email publications that cover top stories in various fields including health care — reported that, “One of the biggest successes in interior design in recent years has been the recognition that the design of health care interiors can have a significant impact on patient experience and, consequently, health outcomes. For more than two decades, research and case studies have documented various ways in which patient-centered improvements to the interior environment can make positive contributions to patients’ physiological and psychological health.” This integral connection between design and health outcomes has been the focus of DAP Health’s approach since its founding in 1984. The internationally known interior designer Steve Chase, who succumbed to AIDS in 1994, was involved with the design of DAP Health’s original facility as well as the social service wing and main hallways of its current location. His legacy and generosity led to the creation of the organization’s annual Steve Chase Humanitarian Awards event. “Everybody reacts to their physical environment,” says David Brinkman, DAP Health’s CEO. “And it’s our job when we work with designers to grow our facility, or to modernize portions of our facility, to be very thoughtful about how design can help soothe people’s nerves, help people feel welcome who have traditionally been excluded, help people feel confident who are coming to us in fear, and help people feel welcomed who traditionally have felt unwelcome in health care settings. And so everything from color to light to even smells are thought through.”
Architect Maria Song, a partner at the Palm Springs-based Interactive Design Corporation and DAP Health CEO David Brinkman in DAP Health’s Blue Clinic.
