IJAR Volume 3, Issue 1 (complete publication).
At Home in Hospital? Competing Constructions of Hospital Environments
Type
journal article
Year
2009
Large institutions housed in large buildings are frequently regarded as the antithesis of personalised, small scale, domestic, home environments. However the attribute of ‘homeliness’ appears to be used more broadly to describe places where people feel a sense of attachment, control and identification.
In a large multi-disciplinary study of a hospital rebuilding project in northern England a range of users were interviewed to ascertain their responses to the original older buildings and later the new purpose-built hospital. We found both staff and patients retained a strong sense of affection for the older buildings and frequently used the language of home to describe their responses. In contrast, the newer buildings were generally recognised as efficient but impersonal, lacking many of the positive qualities they were familiar with. In addition some respondents suggested that despite efforts to include art projects, the new architectural language was inappropriate for healthcare, believing that small scale, ‘home-like’ environments were more conducive to health and well-being.
The authors will draw on anthropological and architectural frameworks to analyse the data which consists of extensive interview transcripts complemented by photographs. The paper aims to understand the conceptualisations which underpin the various user responses and to offer a critique of the design language of the current healthcare building programme.
In a large multi-disciplinary study of a hospital rebuilding project in northern England a range of users were interviewed to ascertain their responses to the original older buildings and later the new purpose-built hospital. We found both staff and patients retained a strong sense of affection for the older buildings and frequently used the language of home to describe their responses. In contrast, the newer buildings were generally recognised as efficient but impersonal, lacking many of the positive qualities they were familiar with. In addition some respondents suggested that despite efforts to include art projects, the new architectural language was inappropriate for healthcare, believing that small scale, ‘home-like’ environments were more conducive to health and well-being.
The authors will draw on anthropological and architectural frameworks to analyse the data which consists of extensive interview transcripts complemented by photographs. The paper aims to understand the conceptualisations which underpin the various user responses and to offer a critique of the design language of the current healthcare building programme.
Citation
Kellett, Peter and Collins, Peter. "At Home in Hospital? Competing Constructions of Hospital Environments," in ArchNet-IJAR: International Journal of Architectural Research, vol. 3, issue 1 (2009).
Parent Publications
Copyright
Peter Kellett and Peter Collins
Terms of Use
Public Domain
Country
United Kingdom
Language
English
Keywords
At Home in Hospital? Competing Constructions of Hospital Environments
Type
journal article
Year
2009
Large institutions housed in large buildings are frequently regarded as the antithesis of personalised, small scale, domestic, home environments. However the attribute of ‘homeliness’ appears to be used more broadly to describe places where people feel a sense of attachment, control and identification.
In a large multi-disciplinary study of a hospital rebuilding project in northern England a range of users were interviewed to ascertain their responses to the original older buildings and later the new purpose-built hospital. We found both staff and patients retained a strong sense of affection for the older buildings and frequently used the language of home to describe their responses. In contrast, the newer buildings were generally recognised as efficient but impersonal, lacking many of the positive qualities they were familiar with. In addition some respondents suggested that despite efforts to include art projects, the new architectural language was inappropriate for healthcare, believing that small scale, ‘home-like’ environments were more conducive to health and well-being.
The authors will draw on anthropological and architectural frameworks to analyse the data which consists of extensive interview transcripts complemented by photographs. The paper aims to understand the conceptualisations which underpin the various user responses and to offer a critique of the design language of the current healthcare building programme.
In a large multi-disciplinary study of a hospital rebuilding project in northern England a range of users were interviewed to ascertain their responses to the original older buildings and later the new purpose-built hospital. We found both staff and patients retained a strong sense of affection for the older buildings and frequently used the language of home to describe their responses. In contrast, the newer buildings were generally recognised as efficient but impersonal, lacking many of the positive qualities they were familiar with. In addition some respondents suggested that despite efforts to include art projects, the new architectural language was inappropriate for healthcare, believing that small scale, ‘home-like’ environments were more conducive to health and well-being.
The authors will draw on anthropological and architectural frameworks to analyse the data which consists of extensive interview transcripts complemented by photographs. The paper aims to understand the conceptualisations which underpin the various user responses and to offer a critique of the design language of the current healthcare building programme.
Citation
Kellett, Peter and Collins, Peter. "At Home in Hospital? Competing Constructions of Hospital Environments," in ArchNet-IJAR: International Journal of Architectural Research, vol. 3, issue 1 (2009).
Parent Publications
Copyright
Peter Kellett and Peter Collins
Terms of Use
Public Domain
Country
United Kingdom
Language
English
Keywords