Controlled studies confirm that contact with the natural environment can alleviate stress, relax blood pressure, and even reduce the need for pain medication. So it isn’t surprising that many designers strive to organize outpatient cancer centers around natural vistas. That being said, high-tech medical equipment sometimes require a fully enclosed room to operate. Working without windows can be a challenge to many designers trying to achieve the added benefit of nature displays in their designs. When that is the case what can a designer do?

Working without Windows

A great example of how a designer used nature without windows is shown in the image above.

The linear accelerator vaults at the Pocono Cancer Center are windowless by necessity, so murals of a Pocono forest act as imaginary windows to the regional native landscape.

Videos of sky with moving clouds appear on the flat screen televisions in the ceiling.

There’s no limit to the ways you can design nature into the experience of a patient. Other strategies proven successful include green walls, green roofs, sunlight tubes, replica plantings, and even photographs of natural. The natural environment appeals to all age groups and all cultures, particularly when one is sick.

Source:

http://www.healthcaredesignmagazine.com/article/designing-natural-vistas-urban-cancer-center-environments?page=2

Photo Credit: Ron Blunt