As we have started to think about healthcare design and had the opportunity to visit a few different healthcare centers, I have started to dive deeper into the different aspects of design in a clinical setting. There are many hospitals around the world that are looking into re-vamping their programs, layout of spaces, and interiors, but what if there was more to worry about than just the aesthetic value of the space? Could there be a way that our interiors and the materials that make them up are making us more sick?
In an environment where people can be at their weakest, many hospitals and healthcare centers have toxic interiors via the materials inside of them. An article by Healthcare Design Magazine outlines some of the negative effects of materials that are located in many hospitals around the world. Also firms like HDR have done EBD (evidence based design) on some of these ideas of hazardous everyday materials. Many products that have been used in healthcare interiors i.e. recliners, countertops, furniture, workstations, etc. are now cause for concern due to their flammability, toxicity, as well as their negative environmental impact. Research like this is changing how healthcare centers are being designed.
While most of the materials designed for a hospital are protected with fire retardant it has come out in recent research that this retardant only stays onto the objects for the first few years. After that trace amounts of flame retardant have been found in dust on the floor as well as in the air that the patient and the staff breaths. The worst part? According to Healthcare Design Magazine and studies at the University of California Berkley, fire retardants have been linked to chronic diseases such as diabetes, cancer, hormone issues, memory loss, and decreased childhood development!
But how as designers can we address these issues? While looking into this issue I found that there is a website that has a material transparency tool. This website allows its users to figure out what toxins may exist in a product and the impacts those toxins could have on potential patients or users of the product. The site then uses a color coding system to determine a products “health status”. This material calculator can be found on www.pharosproject.net.
As designers we are so concerned with the space planning aspect of a hospital or clinic that the materials that comprise the interiors of these spaces becomes a secondary thought to us. If we only design for space planning and don’t start to take some of these hazardous chemicals into mind all of our design efforts will be for nothing. We have to start acting for material transparency and working with safer materials to help our patients and the staff that helps them remain safe.
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