At a residential group of dementia patients, controllable lighting was installed, allowing for different lighting intensities and light colours to be realised and their effects on the residents' well-being and social activities to be examined systematically.
Owner: | Protestant Queen Elisabeth Herzberge Hospital (DE) |
Architect: | Planung M.R Architekten Thomas Rinne Karsten Gottwald Partnerschaftgesellschaft mbB (DE), Bauleitung A24 Architekten + Ingenieure (DE) |
Electrical consultants: | GTB-Berlin Gesellschaft für Technik am Bau GmbH (DE) |
Owner: | Nursing home & Care center Alpsteeblick, Appenzell (CH) |
Lighting design: | Reflexion AG Zurich (CH) |
Electrical installations: | Elektro Sonderer AG, Appenzell (CH) |
Zumtobel. The Light.
Owner: | Spire Health Care (UK) |
Architect: | Nightingale Associates (UK) |
Lighting technology: | Hamson JPA (UK) |
Photos: | Redshift Photography |
Zumtobel. The Light.
Owner: | City of Maldegem, Maldegem (BE) |
Architect: | AIKO Architecten & Ingeineur, Maldegem (BE) |
An impressive paradigm of a place to live and feel at ease for senior citizens and people in need of care has been created in the Belgian town of Maldegem; this place offers one thing above all: plenty of light.
The reason: it has been established as a scientific fact that people's circadian sleep-wake rhythm can be stabilised by sufficiently large quantities of light. As elderly people, and in particular people needing care, spend only very little time outdoors, light must ideally be brought to them indoors.
Three partial projects, linked with, and complementing, each other, have been erected on the 10,000 square metre campus. The new building, which is flooded by light and whose wings are linked by a spacious restaurant, is located centrally in the campus. This is a place of communication for residents, staff members and visitors. In this area, downlights, assisted by spotlights, provide very uniform light that can be modified at any time. This means that the high-ceilinged room can also be used for theatre performances or for showing movies.
Located left and right of the cafeteria are two two-storey buildings featuring dark bricks that are typical of the region. The buildings have been adjusted to meet the special needs of their residents. In the apartments accommodated in the left wing, residents support themselves, yet they may at any time use assistance and services provided by the adjacent nursing ward. The building to the right accommodates 124 rooms for people in need of care. Already the entrance area looks bright and inviting, avoiding any kind of hospital atmosphere. Plenty of daylight enters the building, and is supplemented by circular pendant luminaires and indirect wall-mounted luminaires only if required. The routing system, which stimulates people to go for a walk, is emphasised by SLOTLIGHT light lines; the room doors are highlighted by small LED downlights. The wall-mounted luminaires reflect the colour scheme of the respective care unit, making it easy for people to find their way. Arranged around an inner courtyard, the floor-to-ceiling windows in the rooms and lounges allow even less mobile residents to catch a glimpse of nature. At twilight, suspended direct/indirect luminaires add the requisite quantity of artificial lighting; as soon as darkness has fallen, they create a soothing atmosphere.
Zumtobel. The Light.
Owner: | Hamburg-Eppendorf University Hospital, Hamburg (DE) |
Architect: | Nickl & Partner Architekten, Munich (DE) |
Lighting design: | Ebert und Partner, Nürnberg (DE) |
General contractor: | Hochtief Construction AG, Essen (DE) |
Saving costs while increasing quality - this is the economic conflict health service providers are currently finding themselves confronted with. Architecture and interior design can significantly improve both parameters: architecture by designing buildings in a resource-saving, energy-efficient way based on the organisational processes applied, and interior design by promoting the multifaceted design of surfaces with light and colours that promote health and allow to pay attention to individuals.
The University Hospital in Hamburg-Eppendorf, UKE for short, has revolutionised hospital architecture. The building accommodates 16 operating theatres plus intensive-care units and over 700 beds. Thanks to the arrangement of supply systems and special wards, the distances to be covered by staff and patients are kept short. This allows staff to work cost-efficiently and at the same time at the topmost level of quality. Another special feature is based on the assumption that the recovery of patients is not only the result of good medical care but also of an atmosphere in which patients feel at ease. The patient rooms, for instance, have therefore been painted in warm colours with dark wooden floors. Almost like in a hotel, each bed has its separate multi-media unit. The CONBOARD media supply system with outlets for mains power, gas supply and communication systems has been integrated into a high-quality cabinet system. With its separately switchable components providing room lighting, reading light and LED night light, the bedside luminaire’s innovative waveguide technology endows the patient rooms with a contemporary and aesthetically appealing lighting culture. Thanks to this solution, the usual visibility of technical equipment directly next to the patients is avoided, reducing the alienating effect caused by hospital environments.
The hospital boulevard on the second floor takes the same line: a patients’ library, a cafeteria, a restaurant, shops, a hair salon, Internet terminals and a branch of Hamburger Sparkasse make sure that staying at the hospital is anything but boring. In these areas, the lighting designers placed special emphasis on a straightforward guiding system. They opted for the contemporary CLARIS luminaire with a linear design, that pleasantly illuminates the rooms, providing for a uniform look.
Zumtobel. The Light.
Owner: | Gespag OÖ Gesundheits- und Spital AG, Linz (AT) |
Architect: | fasch&fuchs.ZT-gmbh, Vienna (AT) |
Electrical consultants: | TB Wanger & Partner ZT GmbH, Linz (AT) |
Electrical installations: | ELIN GmbH & Co. KG, Linz (AT) |
Owner: | Otto Wulff Bauunternehmung GmbH & Co.KG, Hamburg (DE) |
Architect: | Henke + Partner, Hamburg (DE) |
In hospital and care facilities, the psychological effects of light are a subject attracting ever increasing attention. One example from the recent past: in its newly built Interdisciplinary Emergency and Surgery Centre (INO), the Marienkrankenhaus Hospital has implemented customised lighting and colour concepts. Patients are welcomed by a facade covered by glass panels in radiant colours; inside the buildling, too, bright surfaces are the main design feature. Those responsible have deliberately chosen colours that, according to the theory of colours, reflect vitality and optimism: yellow, orange and red emphasise the mission of Hamburg's largest confessional (500-bed) hospital – cordial care.
Soothing uniform ambient lighting in the entrance area and the corridors is provided by the TECTON TETRIS continuous-row lighting system. The indirect lighting characteristics of the cove optic ensure properly illuminated ceilings without causing any glare. Equally high-quality general lighting in the lounges, offices and lift areas is provided by Panos DOWNLIGHTS and the MELLOW LIGHT IV office luminaire.
Even in the operating theatres and patient rooms, one is surprised to find the ceilings painted in yellow and the walls subtly decorated. In order to meet the high requirements in terms of hygiene and lighting quality, CLEAN Supreme cleanroom luminaires have been installed in the operating theatres and CLEAN Advanced luminaires in the intensive care ward – in each case featuring IP 65/54 protection, state-of-the-art T16 lamp technologies and electronic ballasts. In the intensive care ward, dimmable TECTON TETRIS luminaires are used as well. For patients confined to bed in particular, they create a pleasant atmosphere without any glare. The PURELINE luminaires used in the patient rooms, which combine indirect room lighting and direct light for reading, meet all requirements in terms of home-like, yet medically safe lighting. A simple press of a button is required to switch from general lighting or reading light to visually exacting examination lighting at 300 lux.
Zumtobel. The Light.
Owner: | City of Offenbach (DE) |
Architect: | woernerundpartner, Frankfurt (DE) |
Lighting design: | Brendel Ingenieure, Frankfurt (DE) |
Electrical installations: | Bauer Elektroanlagen GmbH, Halle (DE) |
The new building of the Clinical Centre in Offenbach features an ideal infrastructure for process-controlled patient management, state-of-the-art medical equipment, a sophisticated interior design as well as innovative colour, material, lighting and open-space concepts. The building's comb-shaped floor plan offers flexibility for changing workflows, short distances, it can be extended and can therefore adjust to meet future requirements. The main functions of light: high-quality luminaires providing glare-free light assist staff members in doing their work. In the patient rooms, light assists patients in their recovery. Intelligent lighting solutions help visitors to find their way.
Even the facade, which is painted in vivid red colour tones, radiates cheerful vitality. For the public areas, too, the architects have opted for warm colours and plenty of light as key design elements. In the two-storey lobby, a balanced lighting concept using PANOS downlights and special versions of the SLOTLIGHT recessed luminaire helps people to find their way quickly. The warm red colour of the floor radiates across the walls and ceiling, creating a gentle, pleasant atmosphere in the large room. A routing system featuring attractive colours and patterns helps patients and visitors to quickly find the department or ward required. In the staircases, LINARIA luminaires follow the course of the stairs, creating an attractive counterpart to the handrail.
The patient rooms, with a total of 724 beds in 13 wards, are bright and pleasant. The CONBOARD medical supply unit has been integrated into the high-quality custom-made furniture. While the cosy atmosphere in the patient rooms for adults is created by the materials used as well as sandy and earthy colours, more vivid colours prevail in the children's ward.
Zumtobel. The Light.