Designing spaces for care means ensuring the quality of the use and perception of healthcare facilities to give patient conditions that can help speed up the healing process and make the illness more bearable. These types of needs — joined by the working and supervision needs of healthcare professionals — need to be met with careful design attention and size and form solutions that can be adopted based on the type and timeframe of patient care, as well as growing integration between design and furnishing elements. Waldkliniken Eisenberg is the largest orthopedic center in Germany and it is, without question, an excellent recent example of such ideas. It was designed by Matteo Thun & Partners to accommodate patients in treatment in an environment that consciously makes its patients central.
The interior and architectural design are true to the concept of hospitecture, combining the aesthetics of hospitality projects with the functionality of the healthcare sector. The building has a larch wood circular façade, which allows all 128 inpatient rooms to overlook the surrounding oak forest, large verandas, four dining areas, the careful use of natural and artificial light, high design and attention to ecology and sustainability. These are always of prime importance in Thun’s projects and here are complemented by the choice of natural materials and local expertise.
This attention to detail also inspired them to choose Very Wood to furnish the patient rooms, the lounge areas and the restaurant. They used pieces designed by Matteo Thun part of the Carmen and Capri collections, including chairs with narrow legs and wrapping backrests, available in a wide choice of finishes and colors, from the Carmen collection; and dining armchairs, lounge armchairs and sofas, tables and coffee tables in oiled Iroko wood from the Capri collection. Both product families are part of the Wise project, a collection of “age-friendly” seats that respond to the needs of those whose age means they especially need ergonomics and comfort.
