Tina Baia, Author at Great American Art

The Concept of Trauma-Informed Design

Tina Baia — Wed, 06 Oct 2021 14:11:42 +0000

Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, or PTSD, is often a diagnosis associated with veterans of our armed forces returning from combat, however an estimated 70% of adults in the US have experienced a traumatic event in their lives, while 20% of these will go on to develop PTSD. This calculates to approximately 5% of Americans, or 13 million people, who are struggling with PTSD at any given time per Anne Maria Garcia of e4h Architecture’s report “Empathy in Architecture: Using Trauma-informed Design to Promote Healing.”

In fact, a new design concept that supports trauma affected individuals is starting to gain traction. Jonathan Farrell and Renee Weeks presented on this concept at the Vermont Office of Economic Opportunity Conference in 2019. The term “trauma-informed design” is a concept that gives architects and interior designers focus on integrating the principles of trauma-informed care into their practices. The goal of this design concept is “to create spaces that are welcoming, demonstrate a safe environment, and provide some degree of privacy, while at the same time not interfering with staff’s need to monitor residents’ behavior.”

Garcia of 34h goes on to say “Trauma-informed design incorporates the principles of trauma-informed care: empathy and understanding. It is an effective approach to designing spaces where trauma-experienced individuals may spend time, such as hospitals, Veterans Affairs facilities, behavioral health centers, and social service facilities. The goal of trauma-informed design is to create environments that promote a sense of calm, safety, dignity, empowerment, and well-being for all occupants. These outcomes can be achieved by adapting spatial layout, thoughtful furniture choices, visual interest, light and color, art, and biophilic design.”

For artwork specifically, Garcia describes the need for nature, painting, and photography as means of creating a visual distraction, much like the images below. Farrell and Weeks go on to explore the need for attention to selecting art that “does not convey meaning or symbolic significance that would generate or arouse negative feelings.”

This is design concept underscores the importance of artwork selection. It is imperative that artwork selection supports the community being served, and is considered part of the treatment, the space, and the program.

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Designing For Senior Living

Tina Baia — Thu, 02 Sep 2021 17:17:48 +0000

Designing experiences for senior living communities through artwork selection takes a lot into consideration; from the type of community being served (such as independent, assisted living to memory care), to the specific needs of these communities. Design is taking on a more hospitality-inspired approach – one that focuses on creating engaging environments that encourage residents to live life to the fullest. As John Cronin of the AIA reported, “providers are taking a closer look at resident interests and working with design teams to create specialized spaces that speak to these hobbies and desired amenities.”

Sitting area utilizing abstract artwork.

Cronin goes on to say, “interiors that celebrate the arts have the opportunity to engage residents and the community at-large in a whole new way.” He also sees the value in creating distinct amenities that offer a cultured lifestyle and work to enhance the resident lifestyle.

Track display system that allows for a rotating art program.

Architectural Digest looked at this idea even further in their recent article, Designers Are Rethinking Senior Living – With a Focus on Wellness. Looking in particular at a new luxury building for seniors which had a specific focus of making its facility feel like home. The architectural team paid close attention to the aesthetic details while keeping unique user requirements at the forefront of design. In particular, they focused on color palettes, incorporating contrast to ease visual strain, patterns that positively affected depth perception, and comfortable furnishings.

Homelike environments that positively impact.

These examples of designer’s selections put into practice, continue to echo the many opportunities for the physical environment to positively impact an individual’s needs. It becomes extremely important that artwork selected for each area, such as dining halls, communal areas, activity areas, on-property hair salons, etc., supports the needs of the community being served. Carefully selected artwork helps to create a place that encourages activities and relationships, allowing the communities to maximize capabilities, maintain as much independence as possible, and boost self-esteem.

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Art & The Anatomy of a Hospital

Tina Baia — Thu, 10 Jun 2021 16:58:36 +0000

When you think of a hospital, a lot of areas can come to mind; the emergency room, patient rooms, nurses stations, surgical suites, labor and delivery, physician offices, administrative offices, pharmacy, labs, gift shops, corridors, elevator lobbies, behavioral health, oncology, and the list goes on and on. Each area caters to a different need. Therefore, art programs across each of these areas should take the experiences of patients, visitors, and staff, their demographics, and their needs into consideration to create a meaningful experience that enhances patients’ well-being.

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Art Should Be Considered In The Schematic Design Phase

Tina Baia — Fri, 18 Oct 2019 15:41:08 +0000

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Value Engineering to Meet Art Program Budgets in Independent Living

Tina Baia — Wed, 09 Oct 2019 15:20:31 +0000

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