HEWI MAG / Insights
Functional aspects of coloured design
In this interview, architect Dr Birgit Dietz explains the background to the development of the age- and dementia-sensitive washbasin, which she designed together with HEWI.
She is a lecturer at the Technical University of Munich in the field of hospital construction and healthcare buildings and the owner of an architectural office in Bamberg.
hewi washbasin
HEWI editorial team: HEWI offers an accessibility washbasin that has coloured markings. What is the function of the coloured design?
Dr. B. Dietz: Adults perceive at least 80% of their environment through vision. But even in old age, vision is subject to a variety of limitations that make it difficult to perceive the environment correctly and thus to orient oneself. So if the impression of standing in the fog like a skier can be avoided and the washbasin is recognised here, people will find their way around better. He will also use the marked handles, so the risk of falling can even be reduced.
HEWI Editorial Team: Was the colour chosen deliberately?
Dr. B. Dietz: Yes! Protein deposits cause clouding of the lens with age. As a result, certain spectral components of the light are diffusely scattered. They can no longer reach the retina unhindered. Colour contrasts, especially in the blue-green range, are no longer perceived with differentiation because the transmission properties of the lens are seriously reduced in the short-wave light range. Red is recognised the longest and also has a prompting character.
HEWI editorial team: Has it been tested whether people suffering from dementia are guided by the colour markings or whether their independence is promoted?
Dr. B. Dietz: Yes. In the meantime, a utility model protection has even been granted for this!
HEWI editorial team: One of the approaches in dealing with people suffering from dementia is environment design. Here the environment of the person affected is designed as it usually was when they were young. You follow a functional approach. How does this differ from the design of the environment?
Dr. B. Dietz: We want to address all the senses in order to enable the most correct perception of the environment. In my opinion, it is not so much about building up the impression of a home, if that is what you want to address. It's more about maintaining competencies and minimising the feeling of insecurity and helplessness. Milieu shaping in a broader sense means adapting the material and social environment to changed perceptions and competencies. It tries to reduce sources of excessive demands, so it has a similar goal.
HEWI Editorial Team: You teach hospital construction and healthcare buildings at the TUM and have been researching age- and dementia-sensitive architecture for some time. What are the focal points of your research projects?
Dr. B. Dietz: Basically, it's about using all the senses to support competences, to avoid the feeling of incompetence as much as possible. Only in this way can the experience of helplessness and thus fear be minimised and the resulting aggression, running away, hiding and much more be reduced as much as possible. A decline in skills on one page should therefore trigger efforts on the other page to design the environment to be as comprehensible and secure as possible - this washbasin can make a contribution to this.
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