Instead of monotonous walls and bright light, the redesigned emergency department at the Robert Bosch Hospital in Stuttgart relies on a well thought-out colour and lighting concept. This provides emotional support for patients and staff, specifically promotes orientation, reassurance and a feeling of safety – and creates a pleasant, more human atmosphere in everyday hospital life.
Robert Bosch Hospital, Stuttgart
Photos: Marc Gilardone
As part of the redesign of the emergency department at the RBK, Stuttgart-based light artist Laurenz Theinert focused on the effect of colour and form.
The aim was to create an environment that offers patients orientation, safety, confidence, reassurance and well-being in the exceptional situation of the emergency department – while also creating a pleasant, functional working atmosphere for staff. The starting point for the design concept is the theory of perception, which distinguishes between three successive stages of perception: atmospheric-aesthetic, object-related and detail-orientated information. Complexity in the visual environment can disrupt this perception process – especially in the emergency department, where patient overload is already a formative factor. Order and visual clarity, on the other hand, promote orientation and provide security.
The emergency room at the Robert Bosch Hospital in Stuttgart has been redesigned: calming colours and healthy light for treatment rooms and corridors. This concept was the brainchild of Stuttgart lighting artist Laurenz Theinert, who had special films developed for it: a total work of art made up of light, shadow and colour.
The focus was on the development of a colour concept based on colour psychology. The colours used are deliberately matched to their physiological and emotional effects:
- Green: stands for growth and development. This life-affirming colour triggers happiness hormones and motivates you to do what you are doing.
- Yellow: strengthens both self-confidence and the willingness to take risks. Studies in experimental psychology also show that yellow inhibits anxiety and creates cosy feelings.
- Blue: The physiological effect of blue is calm. The psychological effect is best described as satisfaction.
- Orange: has been shown to lead to a release of the reward hormone dopamine in the brain – increasing motivation and joie de vivre.
Order also played a central role in the formal design. The circle was chosen as the central design element. As a symbolically closed form without beginning or end, it symbolises calm, harmony and security. Through its repetition and rhythmic arrangement, a clear visual structure can be created that guides the eye, forms an anchor point and supports orientation. The circular motifs are a recurring design element in various areas of the emergency room and thus ensure a visual bracket and high recognisability.
The original design of the rooms was characterised by visual chaos, such as dark ceilings, complex ceiling installations and a cold, technical and colourless atmosphere. This has been consistently revised. Today, clearly structured zones direct the eye, dark, oppressive colours have been replaced by bright, friendly shades, and recognition and orientation are facilitated by reduced complexity.
The Healing Art concept of the emergency department is enhanced by the component of a healthy lighting solution. The interplay of calming colours with dynamic, biologically effective light in treatment rooms and corridors creates an environment that promotes well-being.
