IED barcelona design students conceptualize the future of healthcare

in the age of technology, are there any limits to innovations and how they benefit the design of interiors and products specifically? whether incremental or radical in its transformation of a field, technology and human-centered design plays a vital role in the creation of good spaces within many fields, especially healthcare. IED barcelona design school challenged their students of interior and product design to think about sanitary assistance and improve this environment with a focus on the people (patients, relatives and staff members).

‘mune’ by rasha el assaad
all images courtesy of IED barcelona

with sanitary assistance known to be in constant demand to be adapted and updated to new times and technology, hospitals were chosen as the projects’ starting point for exploring ideas and solutions. the framework also ensured students tackled issues from an essential humanistic perspective, where they had to think about global users. highlighting four proposed designs from IED barcelona, each one takes the level of usability, atmosphere, lights, emotional, functional and aesthetic aspects into considered.

‘mune’ by rasha el assaad

through ‘mune’, rasha el assaad conceptualizes an inflatable space dedicated to vulnerable children who typically do not have control over their situation as well as illness. in turn, the environment becomes a device whereby the patient can seemingly travel through time and space, and choose to have an ‘out of this world’ experience. the new galaxy aims to heighten the user’s imagination and senses through activities all in their control: landscapes can be transformed, planets visited, and other natural characteristics modified each time. the design hopes to become a powerful tool to aid well-being and healing overall.

‘beautiful minds’ by katrina kalnina

provoking the idea of uniqueness, ‘beautiful minds’ by katrina kalnina aims to break the constraints – and thinking – of normality and those that are considered ‘weird’ or ‘crazy’ in everyday life. this concept excludes the non-normal and creates stigma against them. her design aims to create a solution for how a space can change perception of neurological disorders by making the ‘issue’ an integrated part of a human culture.

‘beautiful minds’ by katrina kalnina

‘beautiful minds’ is an exhibition concept that turns the world – and its thinking – upside down in the prison of la modelo. instead, users explore the unknown atypical world through spatial installations that inspire different thinking. each space introduces a specific story, a problem, and a dialogue about individual ways of perceiving reality.

‘nüt’ by laia casademont

created by laia casademont, ‘nüt’ is a game designed for the hospital environment yet adaptable to other fields, such as educational, leisure centers and homes. it focuses on trying to enhance the creativity of children’s cognitive development. this is by allowing a paediatric patient to use an analog projector and a series of slides to experiment and learn through creating their own atmosphere and universe as a whole. furthermore, it also encourages interaction between children as the slides need to be physically exchanged.

‘nüt’ by laia casademont

martina morejón’s proposal, ‘inside-outside’, uses light as a bridge to ‘bring’ the outside into the rooms of hospitalized children. it is designed for paediatric patients who, on average, spend 90% of the time isolated to prevent infections spreading, and therefore experience an environment that is closed off from the world and even the passage of time. the lighting device captures and then refracts, reflects and de-composites sunlight around the room. the result highlights the importance of light, space and geometry in creating an atmosphere of well-being and connection.
‘inside-outside’ by martina morejón

the proposed ideas and solutions by IED barcelona students highlight the institute’s commitment to more than just spaces; their designs generate atmospheres and emotions for people’s needs. as such, the school offer a wide range of courses related to interior design, from undergraduate degrees to master’s and even continuing study programs. each one is deeply embedded in research and exploration of the subject through specific methodologies. this is all in the aim of promoting good design that is human-centered at its heart.

‘inside-outside’ by martina morejón

project info:

institute: IED barcelona

course: interior and product design