The Practice of Biophilic Design

Biophilic design is a therapeutic way of designing our homes, work, health-care, hospitality and learning spaces. Bringing nature into a space has been proven to contribute to stress reduction, enhanced creativity and clarity of thought, expedited healing, improved emotional and physical well-being, and increased productivity in learning and work settings.

Biophilic design has been practiced unknowingly for generations. More recently, it has become a well-practiced and more defined design trend for interior spaces. Interior designers and architects are tasked with creating environments that are structurally sound as well as benefit the mental and physical well-being of the individuals who will be spending their time in such environments. From wall colors and patterns to introducing natural light and views of the outdoors, details make the difference.

Photo courtesy of Construction Specialties

Warm wood tones are featured througout the wall paneling system at Parkview Randallia Hospital in Fort Wayne, Indiana. Addtionally, potted plants and large open windows to the exterior provide an abundance of natural life and views to nature.

Interior Wall Protection and Design: Biophilia and Beyond

Interior wall protection not only contributes to LEED v4 points for sustainability, but it also benefits those who come in contact with the material visually as a biophilic design element, thereby fostering everyday well-being for building occupants.

Whether following biophilic design strategies or some other design directive, designers tend to ask how easy it is to get their unique design into a space. With the capability of custom printing on interior wall protection, there are endless possibilities for how a space can be made to look and feel, thus answering the designers’ question that, yes, they can create a unique space unlike any other and leave their own stamp on it.

Protection for interior surfaces is necessary and a fact of life. With recent advances, selecting the right wall-protection solutions to protect your project’s interior while providing a pleasing aesthetic is fully achievable.

Types of Wall Protection

High-impact wall coverings are available in many thicknesses. At their best, high-impact wall coverings stand up to scrapes, scuffs, and damage caused by humans and machinery in high-traffic areas. Manufacturers offer products in a range of colors, textures, and simulated patterns, allowing designers to create virtually endless options. If the combination of standard colors, textures, and patterns aren’t unique enough, there are products available that allow customization so that almost any image or messaging can be printed (often behind a clear rigid sheet) for a truly unique look. In addition to the myriad design options, the contemporary texture of the rigid sheet allows for easy cleaning and maintenance. Look for products that are environmentally friendly—for example, PVC-free and contain no halogens or other known persistent bioaccumulative toxins (PBTs). Also, products should be tested to the Standards Council of Canada CAN/ULC-S102.02 standard, and be UL Class A/1 fire rated and labeled to ensure eco-friendly and safe choices.

Easily installed wall panel systems provide a needed solution for many spaces. Recent functional and aesthetic improvements in the market allow the use of certain wall panels in a variety of spaces with protective and decorative needs. In certain cases, the panels can be coordinated with the colors and patterns of the specified wall coverings. A variety of wall panel configurations, edge, and trim options can be incorporated into virtually any design, and they can be permanently adhered to the wall or installed with innovative snap systems, which can allow for easy removal or replacement of individual panels.

Wall Coverings and Panels: Design and Performance

The goal of high-impact wall coverings and custom wall panels is to enhance the design of a space by offering a number of capabilities, including the ability to incorporate large-format graphics, unique applications, collaborative design, multifunctional panels, and custom printing. In terms of biophilic design, when the right elements are in place, these products make successful biophilic design possible by bringing nature indoors with choices that feature such designs as simulated wood patterns and nature imagery.

Wall protection now comes in unlimited visual freedom, with products that offer architects, interior designers, and owners the ability to use large-format graphics, photography, and messaging safely embedded behind durable sheet, creating stunning interiors without the worry of damage. According to Richelle Cellini, visualization specialist at Construction Specialties, “Specifying customized wall-protection products gives the A&D community the ability to use photographs, designs, and illustrations by bringing the surrounding outdoors in. Whether that be using local agriculture, individuals, or architecture, the latest wall coverings and panels can be used to digitally capture these elements and preserve them on the wall for the users to enjoy, recognize, and honor for the lasting lifetime of the product.”

Photo courtesy of Construction Specialties

This waiting room at Children’s Medical Center of Dallas features colorful and playful nature imagery. The abstract art serves to fuel the imagination, providing a positive distraction for young patients and families alike. Here, the wall imagery works in conjunction with the columns, which create tree-like sculptures, to further the soothing natural feeling within the space.

CASE STUDY: PROTECTIVE WALL COVERINGS, TEXAS CHILDREN’S HOSPITAL AT THE WOODLANDS

About the Project

Texas Children’s Hospital (TCH) is a comprehensive pediatric health-care complex in The Woodlands, Texas. It was constructed to expand its renowned health-care into the suburbs, providing inpatient care, diagnostic services, and ambulatory care to The Woodlands community.

The facility wanted protective wall art for its new pediatric specialties building. Designers selected a new wall-protection product because of its durability, longevity, and ability to incorporate striking nature imagery with way finding elements. Specific cubicle curtains were selected for their maintenance benefits, bacteria resistance, and design options.

Photo courtesy of Construction Specialties

Design Goals

Cannon Design is a longtime design and architecture partner with Texas Children’s Hospital. Designers knew they needed wall protection that would function without fail in several anticipated high-traffic areas with differing dimensions, including long, curved walls and elevator cabs. The product needed to be visually striking, engaging, and customizable for way-finding services. Patient rooms needed privacy curtains that would match the whimsical, eye-catching aesthetic that designers wanted to curate. The curtains needed to be tough on germs, resistant to hospital-associated infections (HAIs), and easy for maintenance staff to remove and launder.

Results

“We picked [this wall-protection product] because of its durability, flexibility, and the need to put artwork on curved surfaces,” says Steve Kopp, senior designer with Cannon Design. In addition to its maintenance demands, the product was selected for its customization capabilities.

The product was used on each floor in different variations that fell within the same “Spirit of the Woods” theme, which pays homage to local flora. “The flowers and pines [shown in the artwork] are indigenous to The Woodlands. It’s all native botany,” says Kip Altstaetter of CS Gulf Coast, TCH’s local Construction Specialties sales representative.

This wall protection can be found outside elevators and throughout corridors with a complementing color that is prominent, acting as a way-finding guide. This nature-inspired wall protection is also highlighted in the hospital’s main lobby and inside elevators in a quirky, eye-catching arrangement.

“[The murals] are an iconic part of the building and help kids associate where they are,” Kopp says of each floor’s unique wall protection. “We can show children and their parents that they’re on the orange floor or the blue floor.”

“Graphics were a big part of our end goal,” adds Colette DeJean, interior designer with Cannon Design. “This wall-protection product is protection in itself. It gave our client the peace of mind and durability that they needed for a graphic.”

“Kids can touch it and it won’t break or scuff,” agrees Caitlin Lamothe, interior designer with Cannon Design.

Designers also paid special attention to the contents of patient rooms. They selected cubicle curtains to adorn several spaces within the hospital with brightly colored fabrics that incorporate fun, whimsical designs. These curtains help prevent the spread of health-care associated infections, are easy for the staff to maintain, and provide privacy for patients and their families.

The beauty of the selected wall protection and cubicle curtains is in the details. Through careful attention and collaboration, TCH The Woodlands has wall protection and privacy curtains that meet their design goals and provide an appealing, protective environment for healing.