A New Remedy: Introducing Biophilic Design into Hospitals

Hospitals can be one of the less inviting places and many people avoid them at all costs. The sterile white walls, floors, and dim lights create an unwelcoming environment for most. But what if the environment was changed by introducing other forms of life? There are many hospitals experimenting with adding plants, green walls and even fish tanks to their facilities.

There have been many studies linking nature with improved outcomes in healthcare settings. Simply having a view of nature can make patients feel better and even shorted their recovery time. The close proximity of natural elements, like the plant in a living wall or the water in a water feature, is shown to have positive effects on patients.

Hospitals in Asia are incorporating natural materials, lights, living walls, and plants to change patients and staff mental and physical interactions within hospital walls. The goal is to shorten patient stay and creating a “healing environment” through the introduction of green walls, direct sunlight, lush green, and even the sound of water.

Although many studies have linked nature to improved patient outcomes, there is not yet much research on biophilic design in hospitals since few hospitals are willing to incur the upfront costs and commit to ongoing maintenance. A possible solution could be companies making affordable, low maintenance, and easy to install green walls and water features specifically aimed at the healthcare industry. If biophilic design has the ability to improve patient outcomes than the industry should absolutely explore this subject further.

Check out HCONews to read more on biophilic design in hospitals