3 minute read
Design for de-Stress
Work-related stress
Research states that the built environment has a great impact on the human being and its mental health. People in the western world are estimated to spent up to 90% of their time indoor and therefore, it is very important to pay attention to the built indoor environment (Steemers, 2015).
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Wooden interiors
Utilizing surroundings
Burnard’s and Kutnar’s “Wood and human stress in the built indoor environment: a review” have some interesting investigates on wooden interiors and how this influence on human well-being. Their studies conclude that wood has restorative properties for the built indoor environment and provides restorative benefits and positive health impacts to the occupants – especially related to indicators of human stress. What they have done in order to reach this conclusion, is conducting experiments on measuring the heart rates and blood pressures of individuals experiencing three different rooms; one that does not contain any wooden materials, one that is 45 % plastered with wood and finally, one that is 90 % plastered with wood. The paper concludes that the room plastered with 45 % wood is the most favorable one, since this constellation is found to lower the diastolic blood pressure of the occupants (Burnard & Kutnar, 2015).
Within the wooden material lies an old building tradition with embedded historical and regional building methods in order to enhance place-based relationship between the building and its surroundings (Burnard & Kutnar, 2015). A balanced implementation of wooden interior should be considered for this health centre.
One of the repeating strategies for promoting health and well-being and reducing mental fatigue is the spectating of nature, more specifically green landscapes. These natural settings have proven to have restorative effects on our ability to pay attention. The individual living in the 21st century, experiences mental fatigue as a result of increasing demands of constantly paying attention and processing information. All this often takes place in environments that promotes mental distress
Figure 32 Pictures
DESIGN FOR DE-STRESS
Figure 33 Pictures such as crowded rooms, noisy rooms, rooms with bad light conditions and rooms with bad thermal conditions. These conditions are often listed as things that triggers distress (Sullivan & Chang, 2011). Especially important are the resting areas; these should preferably stage natural and calming settings, such as views to green landscape and simple decoration, resulting in restoration of the user’s capacity to pay attention. Likewise, spatial design for physical activities is important, because sport and exercise can help prevent the patients getting depression (Sullivan & Chang, 2011).
For residential purposes, studies show that curvilinear interior is perceived less stressful compared with angular and rectilinear forms. In addition, they are perceived more private and safer. Other studies show that adding curvature the architectural spaces feel relaxing and calming and provides a more joyful atmosphere. This can be used as a strategy to recover cognitive stability which is often lost from people suffering from stress (Nanda et. Al., 2013). Stress is relatable to fear and anxiety, and we will use this information to design environments which is perceived as calm and safe by making the gross details curvy and easy perceptible.
When designing, one should focus on architectural coherence. Architectural coherence is embedded in the design when the user makes reasonable deduction about the identity, meaning and location. A high experience of coherence will cause understanding, meaningfulness and great functionality and will prevent the user from frustration and stress (Lawton, 1996).
Architectural affordances are the interaction between the individual and the object. A welldesigned affordance facilitates an interaction between the body and the object, that is considered elegant, comprehensible and joyful. ‘Misaffordance’ can trigger negative reactions like frustration, annoyance and, in worst case, even hostility or helplessness (Evans & McCoy, 1998).
