Sensory perception is how we use our various senses to gain a better understanding of the world around us. Though many architects understand that sensory design should be incorporated into decision-making, it is still not a factor covered well by existing best practice guidance.
When one of our senses is impeded or overloaded, it can hinder our full participation in society. By considering a sensory approach to design, we can support a more inclusive environment for people with heightened, reduced, or complete loss of one of their five senses. We can also support neurodiversity and make spaces that work for all.
In no other sector is this more important than in hospital environments where patients often experience a range of impairments, illnesses, and emotions.
At the Brunel Building at Southmead Hospital in Bristol, which was designed by BDP and is celebrating its tenth anniversary this year, sensory design was a key consideration.
Not all sound is negative and the atria at the Brunel Building exemplifies this by connecting building users across the whole hospital with the positive sounds emanating from this public heart space
Current literature on good healthcare design still harks back to the principles of Florence Nightingale and there are surprisingly few contemporary building references. Now, two pieces of research are underway that will hopefully address this.
Research being undertaken by the University of Bristol is collating current best practices with BDP’s Brunel building being considered as an exemplar and, due to our integral role in developing the design, we are also currently working on a concurrent vital piece of research called 'Sensing Spaces of Healthcare: Rethinking the NHS Hospital' with Dr Victoria Bates.
The research looks to provide modern best practice exemplars of good hospital design and guidance on how to better design for the whole sensory experience. Looking back at the design of Southmead, we can see how design really can go beyond visual quality to meet the human needs of patients, visitors, and staff.
Hospitals cater for some of life’s most stressful situations, but we know that better environments secure better health outcomes. The design of the atria that run through the heart of the building at Southmead Hospital was key as we addressed the specific sensory experience of arrival at a hospital.
We sought to create a space that is inviting, legible, and calming to compensate for people’s vulnerability and stress
We sought to create a space that is inviting, legible, and calming to compensate for people’s vulnerability and stress. In doing so, we also created an inspiring public space that connected all departments within the hospital, delivered excellent natural daylight and gave access to greenery and public art.
So few people ask the question “what does good architecture sound like” but in a clinical environment full of hard surfaces, sound design is vital.
We wanted to make the reverberation time within Southmead Hospital as low as possible to provide calm in what might typically be a noisy environment. To counter this, the vertical stair cores provide a large central area for acoustic absorption.
Another aim was to provide a varied soundscape as an audio wayfinding marker. We incorporated a deliberate variation in soundscape design from the livelier environment of the open public space through to the calmer environments such as waiting areas, helping a person using sound for wayfinding to navigate from public to private space.
There is no requirement in regulations for air movement within a building but from a sensory perspective, this can be very calming
Not all sound is negative and the atria at the Brunel Building exemplifies this by connecting building users across the whole hospital with the positive sounds emanating from this public heart space.
Openings at the upper levels permeate the sounds of choirs singing and orchestra’s playing to staff and patients. This positive and uplifting effect was an integral design consideration the BDP team discussed from project inception through to final delivery.
The glazed roof of the hospital entrance and the tall atria give an inspiring sense of arrival, plus, the height allows people to clearly see each level of the building via our super-sized graphics. This legibility of space reduces visitor stress and frees up reception staff time, reducing their workload.
The space also has trees growing inside, supported by the reams of daylight which is sufficient to allow them to flourish. The biophilia present aids in mental health and supports cleaner air inside the building, an added health benefit.
The biophilia present aids in mental health and supports cleaner air inside the building, an added health benefit
There is no requirement in regulations for air movement within a building but from a sensory perspective, this can be very calming. We were keen to avoid the common scenario in healthcare buildings of a “sealed box which can be experienced as ‘stagnant’, consequently, the atria and all wards are naturally ventilated.
At Southmead, we also considered the effect of changing stimuli from day to night. At night the visual connection from daylight is lost so the commissioned artwork in the atria uses lighting to provide visual interest in darker hours. The lit artwork also functions as a binary clock, subtly representing the passing of time, which can be distorted for people in an acute hospital setting.
Ten years on, the Brunel Building at Southmead is still a very calming and engaging space, and we hope that through the ongoing research at Bristol University it can provide a template for sensory design in healthcare.
An engaged and dedicated client was critically important in delivering this approach. The design was the result of an excellent team working together, led by North Bristol NHS Trust procuring a design that was of the highest quality. It is a joy to see the added value the atria space in the Brunel Building continues to provide the trust. It sets a benchmark for design, demonstrating what “good” healthcare architecture can achieve.
