Synaesthetic Design towards a more sensuous, sustainable, and humane hospital

This study is part of an ongoing design research regarding the design of sensory stimuli (e.g., colour, sound, and temperature) in healthcare facilities. Healthcare environments are perceived by many of their users, including patients, physicians, and healthcare workers, as unpleasant, stressful, chaotic places. Many designers have already focused their attention on the psychological needs of patients, proposing solutions to cope with the stress, ensure calm and promote social interaction in healthcare settings. However, the important topic of sensory stimuli in healthcare settings is still not sufficiently explored. In our research we are adopting a Synaesthetic Design approach, which takes into consideration the multiple and concomitant stimuli physically present in the environment, to study how the different sensory stimuli could be designed together to provide an environment more suited to the needs of users in their various circumstances. In addition to the contributions to the health and wellbeing of users, we think this approach may also have advantages from the point of view of the health sector overall sustainability since it is estimated that hospitals are responsible for over the 20% of the public sector energy consumption. In this paper, we present a sensory harmonization strategy for healthcare facilities and discuss its potential not only in promoting health and well-being but also in energetic efficiency. The use of technology-based solutions with sensors, AI, IoT, which could be used to achieve benefits at both levels, is discussed.