White Papers + Media       Health Care

June 01, 2006

Document:

Jumping Off the Bandwagon
The Value of Originality in Healing Environments

Originality and vision in medical work enhances outcomes. Because designers often latch onto aesthetic healthcare trends, all healthcare buildings of a certain period begin to look the same. This homogenization of style engenders its own iconography of institutionalism.

We must approach healthcare design with a fresh eye, eschewing trends and institutional form in favor of an approach that resonates with local culture and community, concerning itself with human use and meaning.

This can be accomplished by embracing design goals rather than definitive design maneuvers to create a welcoming and nurturing healing environment that is stylistically distinct.