Ninth International Conference on Health, Wellness & Society

Abstract

This study investigates the impact of the design and medicine collaborative renovation project that sought to improve patient comfort in hospital entryways through furniture redesign. Designing the comfortableness of hospital environments makes slower progress in Japan than other advanced nations. Since 2000, Japanese universities and hospitals started collaborative projects to improve hospital environments. From 2007, Tsukuba Medical Center has initiated several renovation projects with the University of Tsukuba’s Faculty of Art and Design. However, the hospital entryway still looked stark. This project’s objective was to provide a welcoming atmosphere with wooden furniture in the entryway. Students and staff attended conferences and workshops, and inspected furniture models. The furniture design objectives included: 1) creating continuity between the entryway and a garden outside with wooden pergolas; 2) building benches and a counter with curved shapes; and 3) fashioning a comfortable and aromatic environment with Japanese white cedar. Data were collected through multiple choice and open-ended questionnaires provided to forty-seven entryway users within three days. The results showed that respondents valued the bright, warm, and calm atmosphere in the entryway. They appreciated the feel of the wood and the furniture’s curved shape. However, patients evaluated the benches as uncomfortable because of their hard seats. Thus, the wooden furniture fostered a comfortable atmosphere in the entryway. This success in furniture design resulted from much discussion and examination during the renovation process. However, the designer and staff did not consider patient conditions sufficiently. Therefore, a hospital’s renovation process should involve both the staff and patients.