October 3, 2014

IIDA Recognizes Top Healthcare Interior Design

The IIDA recently announced the winners of its 2014 Healthcare Interior Design Competition, which recognizes original and excellent design in the healthcare industry. Perkins+Will New York took home top honors with the Best of Competition award for its Preston Robert Tisch Center for Men’s Health. The 13,000-square-foot project—one of a series of outpatient centers for New York University’s Langone Medical Center in Manhattan—also won the Best of Category award for Ambulatory Care Centers–Medical Practice Suites.

“Perkins+Will’s project demonstrates the significant impact effective healthcare interior design has on a patient’s overall experience,” says Cheryl S. Durst, IIDA executive vice president and CEO. “The center’s masculine design elements—tailored, textured, reserved—appeal to a wide male demographic, while the keen understanding of space and light provide a soothing environment that promotes healing.”

According to Ted Shaw, senior associate at Perkins+Will New York, who worked as the project manager, senior designer, project architect and medical planner on the project, the design concept was based on the duality of the male-centric characteristic—being strong yet vulnerable—and creating a space that is intrinsically rugged yet comfortable.

Shaw and his team set out to create a woven design approach that would address the unique demands of healthcare, including patient experience, operations, aesthetics and lighting. The use of crafted details and tailored finishes were integral in creating a space that would bring to mind a boutique-clothing store, an airport VIP lounge or a country club. Examples include the use of thick, dark wool wall coverings in patient lounges to evoke the image of tailored clothing; and large-format porcelain tiles on elevator lobby floors and reception-desk faces, to communicate permanence, solidity and strength. “Glazed entries between patient lounges and clinical spaces create a welcoming atmosphere, and a truly transparent aspect to healthcare delivery, versus the typical behind-the-curtain labyrinth of internal clinical areas,” Shaw adds.

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