urgent care at the ranch
Senior Healthcare Design Studio
Connection to Nature Seeking to Reduce Stress in a Healthcare Environment
CONCEPT
Healthcare, especially urgent care facilities that essentially serve as a bridge between a family practice office and emergency room, inherently creates stressful and anxious experiences for those involved. no one likes going to the doctor, and healthcare staff have a lot of pressure to take care of their patients and get them well. In the Urgent Care at the Ranch, the design will seek to alleviate stress for both patient and staff through a simple, calming connection to nature while facilitating efficient patient care through careful and thoughtful space planning. Natural lighting is included in the main waiting room, throughout the exam room pods, and in staff offices. the material palette of wood, concrete, and glass throughout takes its inspiration from the calming environments of the arkansas river, such as mountain streams, wooded forests, and sunny, open plains. The last thing we want when we have an actual fever is to have cabin fever on top of it. Urgent Care at the Ranch takes a different approach to health through these natural influences.
GOAL 1: REDUCE STRESS
No one likes going to the doctor. it is an inherently stressful process. Research has shown that views and a connection to nature helps foster well-being. In order to help alleviate some of the stresses involved, the design will maximize natural daylight, create an efficient path of travel for patients with wayfinding keys, and most importantly, create a relaxing, soothing environment with a connection to nature through wood tones, smooth concrete surfaces, and angular wood ceiling features inspired by the mountains at the source of the Arkansas River.
GOAL 2: PATIENT HEALTH
As with any healthcare practice, the Urgent Care at the Ranch seeks to minimize patient re-admission due to incorrect diagnoses and infection. The materials and finishes, especially in public waiting areas and patient areas, are anti-microbial and easily cleanable, such as concrete surfaces, high pressure laminates, and Cor-Ten steel hardware. creating consistently planned exam rooms and exam room pods results in greater efficiency of care and reduced error.
GOAL 3: SUSTAINABILITY
In order to create a sustainable practice, the Urgent Care at the Ranch will utilize paperless practices as much as possible throughout. The design itself will use sustainable and recycled content materials wherever possible, as well as finishes that are low- or no-VOC emitting. As with goal 1, natural daylighting leads to less necessity for artificial lighting. where necessary, LED artificial lighting will be used throughout as the most sustainable lighting solution.