Interior design and healing architecture: A mixed- method study on the patients’ preferences for interior textiles and textile-based furniture for future hospitals
Year: 2015
Type: article
Study design: Observational Study
Abstract: Hospital design is today influenced by the design concept healing architecture, stating that the patients’ healing process is promoted through accommodating physical surroundings. However, despite the increasing amount of research in the field of healing architecture, research on interior design and materials are rather limited. To compliment research in hospital interior design with particular focus on the use of interior textiles, this pilot study explores if the patients’ preferences for more home-like hospital interiors can be linked to a preference for textile-based furniture and materials. Through a mixed-method study, 43 patients from the outpatient-lung department at Hospital Vendsyssel, Denmark were presented with different types of furniture and materials and were asked about their preferences. Additional questions on their experience of the hospital interior were asked to guide the interpretation of the quantitative and qualitative data. 21% of the participants requested interior design improvements, and had a pronounced preference for the textile-based furniture and materials. For this particular group, the link between home-like hospital interiors and textile materials were thus established. However, a major group of the participants were satisfied with the existing interior, and preferred the furniture style of the traditional hospital interior. As this contradicts with existing literature on patients’ design preferences, reasons for this were explored through the qualitative analysis. The preference for traditional hospital interiors were thereby linked to the patients’ confined expectations of the hospital appearance. From this pilot study, the paper suggests new approaches and methodologies for further studies to explore the potential of material improvement in hospital interiors. Although participatory preference studies provide a good indication on the users’ experience, more profound design studies are needed to unfold the experienced value of design aspects in hospital environments.
Authors: Jeppe Emil Mogensen, Søren Bolvig Poulsen, Allan Grutt Hansen
Institution: Aalborg University
Language: English
Subfield: Urban Studies
Field: Social Sciences
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W2496007178