Problem Statement
In the face of the Covid-19 pandemic, healthcare workers have consistently been under high stress. Needing to deal with a tremendous amount of work every day, rest is greatly needed. While mental health and spiritual health are key components of one's well-being, it has been shown that healthcare workers are not as well supported in these ways, causing a large number of burnouts.
Solution
The purpose of this project is to create a guideline for creating a healing space for healthcare workers that can be flexibly used in any hospital or medical centre context.
'How might we create a space to empower healthcare workers through rest, meditation, and supporting their religious practices?'
Brief of the Website
The website contains three main parts. The interior design aims to talk about how acoustic installations can be adapted through materials used by walls, floors, and decorations. It also aims to talk about the adaptation of lighting – how and why designers should adapt natural lighting the best they can, and at the same time, how the privacy of the room should be kept. Nature is also one of the key elements. Knowing that nature has a great impact on human mental, physical, and spiritual well-being, the section aims to talk about the importance of plants and what plants are suitable for a hospital context, with workers always being super busy.
The religious consideration of the space is also one of the main characters of the website since the project started off by focusing on religion as a DEI dimension. We aimed to create an inclusive and loving environment for healthcare workers to freely express their religion with respect. This part talks about what to be careful of when designing a quiet room for religious practices and how to be more inclusive.
Other than that, some features cannot be included under these two categories, which are the adaptation of music, scent, and also the possibility of adapting VR technology into this context in the future. Since these factors can be very subjective, we have decided not to include that in the main stream.
3D Model
The reason behind developing a guideline is that it can bring flexibility. This project's beginning phase aims to develop a 3D physical model of a space. However, due to the lack of flexibility, it would not be able to demonstrate the idea considering inclusivity. Despite this, I still chose to develop a 3D model as an example for demonstration alongside the guideline.
The Space
The space is designed to provide a quiet area for healthcare workers to be away from the stress they must face daily in the hospital. The space provides them with quiet time to be with themselves or even a higher being if they have a religion. Some may ask about the motive and reason behind this design since already existing facilities serve a similar purpose, which is true. However, through case study and field research, I have discovered that the spaces provided are relatively not so quiet and lack inclusivity, which is one of the key ideas I would like to carry out in this project as well. This is to be inclusive, loving, and respectful to the users I am designing for. Despite being a Christian, I am also a designer, and it is crucial to discover, understand and address people's needs for religious practices and spiritual well-being.
There is so much potential in this guideline to be fully developed, even though it still lacks quite a bit of information due to the late decision to produce the website and constant changes. However, I am still grateful for God's guidance in the whole process. I would not make any of this happen without Him. Praise God!
