At Gilling Dod we understand that all buildings, but in particular those that provide spaces for care, are complex in their nature and composed of numerous competing demands, many of which are often not complimentary but are almost always inextricably linked. Equally as complex as the buildings themselves are the people who will use them, whether they are patients, relatives or members of staff, all of whom have differing needs and reasons for using the space and as a result place differing demands on the same space and often at the same time. To this end, all of our design processes are informed by a holistic approach, which recognises that health and care facilities if they are to be successful and sustainable should not concentrate solely on the practicalities of providing spaces for treatment, but should also consider the following four key design drivers.
• • • •
Space
Technology
Design
Environment
Whilst in our experience the specifics of each of the four design drivers above differs depending upon the spaces being designed, the importance of understanding how they are interlinked and how they impact upon the quality of the care given and ultimately how successful and sustainable it is does not. As a result our designs consider how technology can reduce waiting and the need for waiting spaces, improve staff efficiency through simple, consistent and robust IT, allow their patients to be treated closer to or in home through remote access, how access to natural daylight and external spaces can reduce recovery times for patients as well as absence rates for staff and how adaptable spaces can be used to provide education and advice as well as treatment in order to encourage healthier habits and lifestyles and facilitate a preventative rather than curative approach to healthcare. As designers we are uniquely placed to be able to understand all of these interconnected strands and use our skills and understanding to weave these into the fabric of the health and wellbeing spaces we create as a result.
Holistic Design
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