Let's run to the hospital

Ravi Teja Sharma walks into Delhi's Max Devki Devi hospital and finds intelligent architecture blending superbly with healthcare.

All of us hate hospitals. No one (bar hypochondriacs) likes going there. Nobody still wants to go there but some nicely designed ones are changing the way we look at them.

"Hospitals are hotels with medical gases," remarks architect Richard Wood of Wood Associates, who has designed the Max Devki Devi Heart & Vascular Institute in Delhi's Saket area. He adds, "The current vogue internationally is to completely de-institutionalise hospitals."

A walk into the hospital takes us through the lobby that resembles a hotel vestibule "" it is huge with marble flooring, and an atrium that allows generous amounts of natural light to filter in. And there's a reception counter straight ahead as one enters, while on the left, the hospital has a cafe and a bookshop.

"The basic thought was to create a positive environment through colour schemes, attendant facilities as well as other aspects. It should be seen as a unit that provides a pleasant and soothing environment," says Mukesh Shivdasani, executive director, Max Healthcare.

"The hospital itself can help in healing by providing a suitable environment. The psychology behind designing it is different," adds Wood.

A visit to a hospital is usually stressful. You don't want people getting more stressed, unable to find their way around the hospital.

To get around this, the hospital has a central atrium which runs through the floors, that in turn helps to orient people about where they are, and makes it easier for them to find their way around. The atrium also helps get in a lot of daylight into the hospital, making it livelier.

Wood explains that in the hospital, it is not just the patients who are important; the staff too is as important. The bright environment helps the staff, most of whom work for long hours, de-stress.

Natural light seems to be one essential element of this hospital's design. The patient rooms have large windows with primary views. Even the operation theatres have windows for surgeons (eyes) to get a breather during a long complicated procedure. The corridors have natural light at both ends. To break the monotony, there are artworks on the walls across the hospital.

"The planning of this hospital is very process driven," says Wood. There are separate entrances for each department such as for out-patients and diagnostics. And the patients and guests never have to go through one department to reach another. It helps to break the flow, so there is never any crowding in any area.

Even vertically, the hotel is separated nicely. The ground floor has the out patient departments and other services; the first floor has the ICU and the operation theatres; the second floor upwards has the 1,2,3 and 4 bed patient rooms.

For visitors and attendants, the lobby has enough spaces to relax. These include a bookshop, coffee shop (under the Cafe Coffee Day banner) besides a Subway counter.

The building is energy efficient too and a lot of passive designs have been incorporated into the structure towards this end. The orientation of the building plays a very important role. The east-west orientation provides for better daylight at all times through the glass structure.

Special glass is used to cut solar gain and there is a high level of insulation used in the building. There is a dedicated building management system that monitors all operations as well as power consumption, besides some other functions.

There are elements like water fountains in the waiting area that are soothing to the senses. The colours too make a difference. The predominant colours are cream and green (the hospital's brand colours) but in some departments such as pediatrics, gynaecology and child care, the colours are more soothing. Besides, the hospital has also created a unique play area for children.

The only give-away signs of the building being a hospital are the mandatory oxygen cylinders and tubes. The room that we walked into resembled a five-star suite. There was a separate seating area with a comfortable couch equipped with a television.

It's almost ironic for one could be lulled into thinking only in terms of the luxury (ensuite bathrooms, art pieces and gadgets like a television set with a DVD player and a neat collection of DVDs to boot) instead of the reasons why patients are here!

The rooms have big glass windows for ample natural light to filter in, and each floor has a small waiting area with comfy recliner couches and a small cafeteria as well.

Almost all corridors, lifts and emergency staircases are capacious in the hospital, allowing stretchers to easily pass through these areas. Our next stop at the nurse station is a brightly lit room with a soothing ambience minus the drabness of most hospitals.

The building structure itself has been built for the highest level of earthquake safety. "The building is highly safe and will not be damaged in case of an earthquake," confirms Wood. The exterior facade has a lot of landscaping planned around it with a lot of greenery, which, says Wood, is inviting.

Who says one wants to run away from such a super speciality hospital?