to another takes place in hotels
and airports just as frequently
as in hospitals, and so it's
often possible to leverage
insights from such industries
when it is clear they are
meeting this goal ef ciently.
Continuity is key and requires
organizing the space well and
limiting signage for greater
ef ciency so clients do not feel
overwhelmed.
To make the hospital
environment more nurturing,
caring and supportive of the
community, designers must
focus on priority elements and
borrow from other industries
that wish to promote a
similar feeling. For example,
if education is the focus, the
design should be modeled
after a student union. If the
focus is being responsive to the
patients' needs, one's model
might be a 5-star hotel or spa.
The character of the entry
environment — its fi nishes,
lighting, art, seating and plants
— becomes a palette that can
then be continued into the
public spaces throughout the
building.
Color palettes, much like
those at Nemours Children's
Hospital in Orlando, Florida,
must refl ect timelessness,
where neutral or colors from
natural material are on
surfaces that do not change,
while accents can be in
upholsteries, carpet, paint and
artwork.
Patients want to personalize
their environment. The LED
color lighting control for each
pediatric patient at Nemours
Children's Hospital in Orlando,
Florida is a signifi cant quality
of the overall building
character and identity.
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