CHAIRS

by the Hospital Senses Collective

When waiting, seating takes on a particular significance and the seating used in healthcare settings typically evoke a sterile and institutional ‘feel’. For example, rows of rigid, plastic moulded seating are common within designated waiting areas. They require us to be in close proximity to others, and force us to adopt a particular seating position and posture, and to direct our gaze somewhere in particular. 
 
Materials, including upholstery, within healthcare settings are selected to adhere to stringent health and safety measures. Standardised, plastic-coated materials are chosen for their hard- wearing, easy-to-clean, durable properties. In an autoethnographic account of the hospital, Sarah McGann refers to ‘numerous squeaky pink vinyl recliner chairs… facing the empty middle space’.[1] We can join McGann in imagining sitting in one of those pink vinyl chairs, sticking to the surface, the slightest movement magnified as skin or material struggles to free and reposition itself. 
 
In contrast to domestic settings, upholstery within hospitals is typically synthetic and cold to the touch. The smooth shiny surfaces provide limited opportunities for haptic stimulation and contribute to the sterile and institutional atmosphere of the setting, whilst seating provided in mental health settings is often selected for the purpose of control, containment and safety.[2] For instance, furniture that requires the user to recline is sometimes used as a safety measure, as it prevents ‘rapid standing’.[3] 
 
Recently, one member of the Hospital Senses Collective participated in a collaboration between postgraduate students, an arts and health charity, clinicians and mental health service users. Over a series of creative workshops, they explored how rooms could be redesigned to enhance the waiting experience. This project explored how seating can be used to enhance specific areas of the hospital. It involved redesigning two specialist single-occupancy adult waiting (and assessment) rooms. Due to the vulnerability of the patients, the rooms have two access/exit points and contain windows to enable constant observation. Patients may spend prolonged periods waiting for treatment or referral. 

References
  1. S. McGann, ‘De(sign) in Patient Space: User-creativity in hospital settings’, Journal of Health Design, 2:4 (2017), pp. 33-38.
  2. E. C. Brawley, Design Innovations for Aging and Alzheimer’s: Creating Caring Environments (Wiley, 2006). 
  3. Pineapple, https:// uk.pineapplecontracts.com/ product/zen-plus-chair-range/ [Accessed: January 8, 2021]. 

NEXT PAGE: MUZAK, or return to full WAITING SPACES booklet.