Our integrated teams prioritize spaces for and elements of wellness in designing spaces of all types. Working with our clients, we determine appropriate opportunities for respite and rejuvenation, whether it be a garden courtyard at a hospital or a grow wall in a higher education facility.
COVID-19 has added physical wellness concerns to an already critical balance of mental wellness, therapy, and safety when it comes to designing spaces for the advancement of higher education, healthcare, and behavioral health facilities. Senior Project Director Eric Kern notes, "for a population already sensitive to anxiety and media stimuli, today’s pandemic climate adds new challenges to designing for mental wellness. Social distanced plan layouts, mechanical pressurization, sterilization, and entry screenings are all considerations receiving further scrutiny in many of our projects."
This Mental Health Awareness Month it is important to recognize the relationship between physical space and wellness. Let's take a look at some of our most notable wellness spaces in our portfolio.
Wheaton College, Mars Center for Science & Technology - With its dynamic curves, green roofs, and outdoor spaces, the design resolves the dynamic tension between the grid of the campus plan and the adjacent wetlands.
The College of Wooster, Ruth W. Williams Hall of Life Science - A green wall brings nature inside the building, which studies show helps improve productivity and increase interaction.
The College of William & Mary, McLeod Tyler Wellness Center - Window-filled multi-purpose room that can be used for yoga and other wellness activities.
The Nixon Forensic Center at Fulton State Hospital - The curvilinear circulation lines minimize walking distances to reduce staff stress and provide faster collegial connectivity in times of need.
Stamford Hospital, New Hospital Pavilion - Dedicated staff lounges offer clinicians a private space to relax and recharge.
The Learning Academy at WellStar Kennestone Hospital - Sunshades and landscape slides turn the building's courtyard into a inviting playland.
Angie Fowler Adolescent & Young Adult Cancer Institute - The rooftop Angie’s Garden, with animal sculptures and landscaped seating areas, offers an imaginative escape from the clinical environment.
Harry & Jeanette Weinberg Center for Developmental Disabilities - A block long therapeutic garden, organized into distinct rooms devoted to mobility activities for young patients respects the need for privacy and proclaims the Center’s presence.
