Colour here, there, and in‐between—Placemaking and wayfinding in mental health environments

Abstract

Colour design in mental healthcare environments is acutely significant. Sensory acuity may be impaired through age, illness, or heightened stress and anxiety. While research has played a role in the development of guidance on the use of colour in such environments, this article suggests that this tends to be followed in a dogmatic, risk-averse manner and predominately without professional design input, leading to monotonous and under-stimulating environments. The article reports on two case study projects by the authors, involving user participation and student volunteers. These colour design installations provide examples of practice-led applied research within occupied healthcare facilities. The article discusses the significance of site-specific colour design in relation to place-making and wayfinding with reference to previous research that considers the role of colour as part of the everyday experience of all users, in contrast to an approach focused solely on the behavior of patients. It concludes that colour design knowledge developed and applied through "real world" live projects, involving students as part of their architectural education can address some of the shortcomings of laboratory or staged colour research.

Elderly users’ perceptions of signage systems from tertiary hospitals in Guangzhou

“…In the context of Chinese culture, black, white, grey, or bright red are often rarely used in public space signage systems; from a color psychology perspective black, white, and grey are high in contrast but lack affinity, while bright red is mostly used in celebratory scenes to highlight a warm atmosphere [ 101 , 102 ]. In terms of the overall color scheme, the colors of all signage should be uniform to identify sectors and industries and to emphasize information through color [ 85 , 103 , 104 ].…”

Evaluation of the Usage Requirements of Hospital Signage Systems Based on the Kano Model

“…Preliminary recommendations for the design of hospital signage systems have been made based on previous research that examined color, graphics and text, and installation location. Color is the most eye-catching feature of signage, and designs for wayfinding should be based on contrast and readability [33][34][35]. Color can help to distinguish departments and allow users to find their way by emphasizing information [18,32,36].…”

Investigating the role of spatial configuration on visitors’ spatial cognition in health-care spaces: case studies in Gilan, Iran

“…Visitors may suffer anxiety and psychological stress if truly lost or disoriented; more generally, visitors to health-care facilities are often anxious. Increased stress reduces the ability to absorb and process information (McLachlan and Leng, 2021). The stress because of losing one’s path may cause an increase in blood pressure, fatigue, headache and mental tension, and particularly, frustration in the medical spaces (Carpman and Grant, 2016).…”