CGM -An Investigation of Hospital Interiors Effect on Patients
Introduction
“I once went to a small hospital in Germany. And everything was so sterile and white there. You just felt like you are alive, but that is all” (Schalkers 2073). A fourteen-year-old boy commented about his stay at a hospital environment. It is disappointing realizing that children are losing hope and their magic in a hospital, when it is the best time to use their positivity and magic for healing purposes. Children are the sunshine of many people’s lives and their positivity gives hope to a better future for the world. The fact that they are numb because of the sterile and white hospital environment says a lot about the contribution interior design has on a patient, especially a young patient that is newly learning about the world. Taking care of a child includes creating a space where the child’s imagination, positivity, and love for the world develops. Contrary to the small Hospital in Germany, The Hospitals around Ottawa are putting initiative in bettering the environment for young patients to improve their experience. The Ottawa Hospital recently used color and light to brighten the space and bring joy to the new Special Care Nursery. In addition, the Children’s Hospital of Eastern Ontario created two family lounges that use design principles to make the space more inviting and pleasant for the family and children. To proceed, The Ottawa Hospital is adding design principles to the future campus, highlighting the importance of the hospital environment to every patient. The Hospitals in Ottawa are taking steps forward by highlighting the importance of design when it is integrated to create an environment that is beneficial to the experience of the young patients. In order to understand the importance of the development of the Hospital in Ottawa we must look at where it all began.
History of Ottawa Hospitals
The history of the Ottawa hospitals commenced in 1826 when Bytown developed and was populated with laborer’s, soldiers, immigrants, and their families. Diseases like Malaria, Cholera and Typhus were spreading in the Bytown Area. The only hospital in the area was a 20-bed military hospital built on Barracks Hill. Unless it was an emergency, the hospital did not let common residents get treated. Unsanitary conditions in the Bytown area led to the spread of diseases and patients were treated in their homes, many have died because of improper treatments.
It became apparent that Bytown needed a civilian hospital and nursing care. In 1845, Elisabeth Bruyère ran the building for the General Hospital that cost 240 dollars. In order to expand the care for a greater population a building was purchased where the general Hospital is located. To proceed, in 1860 additional space was necessary and it was decided that a new stone hospital would be designed. In March 1866, The Ottawa General Hospital was completed, and it provided 104 beds on Water and Sussex Street.
Contents of this path:
- CGM - History of Ottawa Children Hospitals
- CGM - Design Intervention for the Special Care Nursery at The Ottawa Hospitals
- CGM - Design Intervention for the Family Rooms at The Children’s Hospital of Eastern Ontario
- CGM - Design Intervention in Future Campus for The Ottawa Hospital
- CGM - CONCLUSION
- CGM - BIBLIOGRAPHY