This is an thought-provoking issue focused on Healthcare. How can we design our hospitals, doctors’ surgeries, nurses respite stations, patient waiting areas, care homes and more better? In this issue we look at case studies, including the Khoo Tek Puat hospital in Singapore, an NHS project, medical research labs and also the wellbeing of workers using these spaces.
Why are hospitals generally scary places? Why are their designs grey, angular, impersonal, blank, and even prison- like? I suppose it is a bit like what happened to our workplace design, they were “improved” at the turn of the last century to become factories of health.
But it wasn’t always like that. Even in the 19th century some of the buildings of hospitals, at least here in the UK, were beautifully designed architecturally. Sanatoriums were often in the countryside, had views of nature, and healthy food, and were designed to inspire feelings of calm and healing. In fact, we still have sanatoria now, think “health spa”. Just thinking of these
