An Investigation into How the Design of Health Centres Can Promote Psychological Healing

By Parween Karim

Physical environment design plays an important role in psychological healing value. So the research focus on Analysis and design colour, daylight, art, sound, and natural view in a range of key areas: the lobby, reception, waiting area, and children consulting room in a type-B health-care building.

During the last three decades, the Iraqi health system radically deteriorated as a result of major wars, economic recession, disastrous military adventures, and political factors. As well as, Kurdistan is a part of Iraq which still suffers from a continuous neglect of the health system.

In fact, the environmental psychology is not taken into consideration in the designs of healthcare buildings. Therefore, Kurdistan needs a new design of healthcare to continue raising the level of the health-care system.

Painting art alongside some parts of walls in waiting area psychologically help patients not to feel the long waiting time. It could help patients to interact with artistic environment positively through imagining and thinking which helps to divert them from focusing on their distress.

Colours have influence on peoples cognition, emotions, and behaviour. Also, psychosomatic medicine affirms that psychological factors may cause physical disorders such as stress causing headaches, anger affecting the stomach, anxiety may increase heartbeat and so on (Mahnke 2012).

Environmental colour design for each space has a positive physiological effect to users. It has been shown that the use of colour therapy could improve the wellbeing of the occupants.

• Language: English
• Publisher: AuthorHouse UK
• Release date: Apr 11, 2016
• ISBN: 9781524629571

Parween Karim

Parween Karim is a consultant architect in Ministry of Health / DOH–Erbil in Kurdistan Region, Iraq. She is working as a designer and project supervisor. She has achieved an MSc in technical architecture from Sheffield Hallam University.

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2016 Parween Karim. All rights reserved.

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Published by AuthorHouse: 04/08/2016

ISBN: 978-1-5246-2956-4 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-5246-2957-1 (e)

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An Investigation into

How the Design of Health Centres can

Promote Psychological Healing

By

Parween Karim

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

I would like to express gratefulness and appreciation to those people who helped me to complete this research:

I would like to thank God for the gift of life, health and all the opportunities for completing this book. Without His blessings I could not complete this project.

I would like to express my sincere thanks and appreciation to Liane Duxbury, who supported me with her feedbacks and comments to progress it. This Major project would not have been possible without her support and supervision.

Separately, special thanks are devoted for Professor Julian Marsh for his encouragement and support during the preparation of this book.

Above all, I would like to acknowledge my family with their constant support to complete this book and achieve my hope far from them.

PREFACE

Many scientific researches have demonstrated that design of buildings has an impact on occupants’ wellbeing. The researcher has consulted many resources about the quality and quantity aspects of environment and health wellbeing needed in buildings design such as daylight, sound, art, natural view, colours, temperature and ventilation. In fact, ventilation and temperature are very important part in health wellbeing but are outside the scope of this study because of its very complex area.

This book collected qualitative and quantitative data via different ways such as using different resources and case studies. Four case studies have been provided for evaluating and assessing quality of environmental design in healthcare buildings in Erbil. In order to explore healthcare outcomes based on improving the environmental design of healthcare building and to answer the main research aims which are:

1. How the building design impacts on health and wellbeing?

2. What is the role of environmental psychology in designing healthcare building?

The research has produced a design of type B healthcare centre according to the Ministry brief which has three types of design health care centres A, B and C.

And then it produced environmental design in different spaces; lobby, reception, waiting areas and children consulting room through conducting design and analysis daylight lux levels, colour, sound, art and natural view.

Results from the current work have demonstrated that the environmental psychology for design healthcare building is very important. It promotes patients’ healing and wellbeing and also boosts staff performance.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Acknowledgments

Preface

Chapter 1: Introduction

1.1 The Context of Primary Healthcare in Kurdistan

1.2 Design Primary Healthcare in Kurdistan-Case studies

1.2.1 Case study 1

1.2.2 Case study2

1.2.3 Case study 3

1.2.4 Case study 4

1.3 Selected Research Topic

1.4 Research Question

1.5 Aims of the Artefact

1.6 Research Objectives

Chapter 2: Literature Review

2.1 Lighting

2.1.1 Daylight

2.1.2 Artificial light

2.2 Art

2.3 Colour

2.3.1 The use of colour for healing and health

2.3.2 Colour and functions

2.3.3 Using Harmonious Colour in Healthcare

2.4 Sound

2.4.1 Soothing sound

2.4.2 Noise

2.5 Increasing Connection to Nature

2.6 Summary of literature

Chapter 3: Methodology

3.1 Methodology Research Design

3.1.1 Quantitative

3.1.2 Qualitative

Chapter 4 Design and analysis

4.1 Design

4.1.1 Site plan

4.1.2 Healthcare Gardens

4.1.2.1 Private gardens:

4.1.2.2 Large garden for patients

4.1.2.3 Playground

4.1.3 Healthcare Courtyards

4.1.4 The Design of the Healthcare Centre

4.2 Design and analysis proposed specific areas:

4.2.1 Lobby

4.2.1.1 Colour

4.2.1.2 Art

4.2.1.3 Sound

4.2.1.3.1 Environmental strategies to reduce noise in the lobby:

4.2.1.3.2 Improving Soothing Sounds:

4.2.1.4 Daylight analysis

4.2.1.4.1 Daylighting improvement

4.2.1.5 Natural view

4.2.2 Reception

4.2.2.1 Colour

4.2.2.2 Sound

4.2.2.3 Daylight analysis

4.2.2.3 .1 Daylighting improvement:

4.2.3 Waiting area

4.2.3.1 General waiting area:

4.2.3.1.1 Colour

4.2.3.1.2 Art

4.2.3.1.3 Sound

4.2.3.1.3.1 Reduce noise in the general waiting area:

4.2.3.1.3.2 Improving Soothing Sounds:

4.2.3.2 Children waiting area

4.2.3.2.1 Colour

4.2.3.2.2 Art

4.2.3.2.3 Sound

4.2.3.(1+2).4 Daylight analysis

4.2.3.(1+2).4.1 Daylighting improvement for waiting area:

4.2.3.(1+2).5 Natural View

4.2.4 Children consulting room

4.2.4.1 Colour

4.2.4.2 Art

4.2.4.3 Sound

4.2.4.4 Daylight analysis

4.2.4.4.1 Daylighting improvement:

4.2.4.5 Natural View

Chapter 5: Conclusion

Recommendations

References

Bibliography

Appendixs A

Primary Healthcare:

Appendixs B

Green Color

Appendixs C

Climate of Kurdistan:

Appendixs D

Culture:

TABLE OF FIGURES

FIGURE 1 :SHOWS THE GROUND FLOOR PLAN OF