Designs for the healthcare sector

, April 6th, 2009

Carol Kartje, vice president and director of interior design at HKS, speaks to CID about designing for the healthcare sector, and highlights how interiors can help to facilitate the healing process

Born in Michigan, Carol Kartje, vice president and director of interior design at US architecture firm, HKS, was brought up in a world filled with art, design and architecture. Her parents cultivated her interest in the creative and she remembers being captivated by the multi-faceted nature of design from a very young age.

“My parents are both intellectuals. My dad is a retired professor, and he would always nourish the art in me. With the combination of the thinking, the ideas, the conceptual, the analytic and the artistic expression involved in design, architectural design kept compelling me,” she said.

Kartje has worked for 23 years as an interior designer and architect specialising in design for the healthcare sector. HKS is the world’s largest healthcare architecture firm in terms of project volume and has been for the last 15 years, with projects in over 900 cities in 55 countries. So far, HKS has completed 1,230 projects, covering over 117 million ft². The firm has also picked up 130 awards for its healthcare work.

Some of these projects which Kartje has been involved in include the Surgery Pavilion and Critical Care Tower for the Saint Joseph Mercy Health System. She has also co-authored an article on the Lacks Cancer Centre, which was only the second LEED certified hospital in the United States.

Introducing a relatively new concept to the Middle East region, Kartje oozed enthusiasm as she spoke to Commercial Interior Design about the new Danat Al Emarat Women and Children’s Hospital in Abu Dhabi, and expressed her extreme passion for designing for the healthcare industry.

What is your first memory of being interested in architecture and design?

My first memory of being compelled to do architecture and design was because of my neighbour. He was the first PhD architect at the University of Michigan. His home, and the way in which he described what he did, was amazing. He was the first catalyst, the first spark – and I was only about eight or nine years old at the time.



What formal training do you have in the interior design field?

Well, I only studied architecture, and have an undergraduate and graduate degree in architecture. If you were to have asked me as a student if I would do interior architecture, I would have been offended. I was a pure architect.
My very first job was in a boutique design store in New York that employed architecture interns. That job opened me up to a whole different world. I found my passion for interior design.

What is your experience in designing for the healthcare industry?

The first part of my career involved designing office spaces, child development facilities, corporate facilities and banks. But for 17 years now I have designed healthcare facilities. I have a particular passion for design for the elderly, and Alzheimer’s facilities.

Why healthcare facilities?

My grandmother had Alzheimer’s and now my father has it. This is a unique, very frail person that has such need, and we can make such an impact as designers if we are attentive to both the big and the little things.

With each project type, whether it’s a cancer care facility or women and children’s hospital, I immerse myself in the requirements for the special needs  of those special people, and make sure that I fully understand. 

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What is a ‘healing environment’?

Healing design and healing environments – these are not new concepts. Way back in ancient times, the Greeks used to put their hospitals on the most auspicious sites, with beautiful views and healing gardens. So there are other cultures around the word that have done this for a long period of time.

The essential elements of healing are holistic design nurturing the body, mind and spirit, and a connection to nature. Daylight and views, for example. We are so uplifted by exposure to light and by engaging all of our senses.

There may be smells that were not so wonderful in previous institutional settings but it’s about thinking about what you see and how it feels to each and every one of our human senses. Also, noise and chaos are very stressful.
 
We are conscious of all the environmental stressors so it is important that architects and designers promote and contribute to the healing process.

How do you go about designing the interiors of these spaces?

Firstly, it’s the way in which we conceive the adjacency of spaces, so it starts at a very basic level. As a designer we layer on top of that with the shape and sculpting of spaces. We create a rhythm and an understanding. We build into the environments a real physical place where you can stop and step aside from the flow of traffic.

Landmarking in the building is also important – we consciously build in physical architectural landmarks in ceilings, in walls, in materials, in colour and then ultimately in signage, to make sure that the interior architecture used is very meaningful and intentional. That’s really where I start. The final layer is texture, material, colour and so on. Healthcare safety is also crucial. We are conscious of the person’s state of mind but their safety as well.



How has this been implemented into the design concept of the new Danat Al Emarat hospital in Abu Dhabi?

Hospitals are moving more towards a hotel-like experience but we define it specifically for this particular hospital. There is a grand scale of graciousness and personalised attention.

Danat Al Emarat Women and Children’s Hospital will be on an auspicious site, in an auspicious place that will be recognised for its caring and progress. This place is really going to be a tribute to the women and children of the UAE.

How difficult is it to achieve cutting-edge design in an environment where hygiene is paramount?

At this point I don’t find it a challenge. I have been involved in healthcare design for a long, long time, so I can incorporate the most luxurious materials that are equally safe, durable, cleanable and can stand the test of time. I have found a way to discreetly integrate the appropriate materials in the appropriate places so that big cleaning machines won’t damage them. We can still get the sculptural interior image while protecting our clients’ assets, so that ten years later it will look the same.

What do you see for the future of design and architecture?

If we do not listen to young talent we will miss opportunities. I believe that we need to get them right out there from the beginning. If you are pushed in at the deep end, guess what? You will not only survive, but you will thrive and shoot to the top!