Visual Perception of Interior Spaces in Paediatric Hospitals

	Visual Perception of Interior Spaces in Paediatric Hospitals
Journal of Engineering
Article 1, Volume 15, Issue 3, 2009, Pages 704-744
Abstract
Children represent an important category in any society being the most important basis of its structure.Thence the society is utterly responsible for providing children with the healthiest services. Architects, planners, psychologists and sociologists have taken into account major considerations when designing the interior spaces in health institutions to help reinforce a curing environment. This is hoped to decrease pain, fear and anxiety, which in turn would enhance the feeling of security and safety in the child and fasten his cure and decrease the period of his stay in the hospital. Stimuli play a significant role in designing the interior space of paediatric hospitals as they have a direct influence on the senses and would create the required psychological environment for medical treatment. The use of various sensory stimuli especially visual ones (light, color, artworks, signs, natural scenes …etc) would create a love relation between the child & the place and encourage movement, playing and imagination. In addition it would create a pleasant and secure environment for children to feel secure and forget their fears and pain. The problem, the research will tackle, is limited to the scientific need to explore the role that visual stimuli play in the perception of the interior environment in paediatric hospitals. The research seeks to discover the influence of the visual stimuli to create an ideal architectural design for the future building of paediatric hospitals. Assuming that visual perception would have apositive, psychological effect on sick children which is hoped to accelerate healing. To achieve the aim of the study, a theoretical framework has been set up first and then applied to selected architectural environments in order to verify the hypothesis adopted in this research and to infer the influence of the visual stimuli hoping to get an ideal architectural design for the future building of paediatric hospitals. The final conclusion reveal the importance of the role played by the visual stimuli: color, natural light and natural scenery as well as the presence of signs in the hospital corridors which have an effect on helping children find their way and reducing fear.The final conclusion also emphasize the importance of the role played by the surrounding environment in the treatment area, to help sick children endure pressure resulted from pain. And create a suitable place where the mind, body and spirit incooperate with the hospitals environment.

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