As with most health care facilities, the thinking on design for rehabilitation centers is more patient oriented than in years past. This thinking includes new ideas on the use of space, color and wayfinding. At the Forsyth Memorial Hospital/Whitaker Regional Rehabilitation Center in Winston-Salem, NC, architectural elements were added in order to bring these new ideas to fruition.

According to Susan H. Ford, ASID, IIDA, interior designer with Peterson Associates in Charlotte, NC, the Whitaker Center did not have any architectural symmetry. So when the Peterson team began work to renovate the 48,000-square-foot, four-story facility, the decision was made to create symmetry by adding a curvilinear architectural element. This curved form appears on the ceiling, floor and at nurses' stations. In combination with a grid pattern on the floor and at the window, the result gives composition to the facility. And with both elements repeated at similar points throughout the building, patients have an easier time at wayfinding.

"Both the curvilinear form and the checkerboard carpet tile show up at the elevator lobbies, exits and nurses' stations," says Ford. "So as patients come down the corridors, they can quickly recognize these points and orient themselves regardless of which floor they are on."

Different accent colors on each floor also help orient patients. Notice that the handrail divides the wall in two, with the top portion finished with vinyl wall covering and the lower portion painted for easy maintenance.

The different floors are finished in different colors, again to assist patients with orientation and wayfinding. Color accents of green, blue, peach and purple -- on floors one through four, respectively -- appear along the edge of curvilinear forms, at the nurses' stations, along baseboards, on the floor and on the back-plate of handrails in the corridors.

Design on Exercise
On each floor there is an exercise room where patients work to regain strength and coordination. Because patients perform so many exercises lying on their backs, the designers paid special regard to the ceiling. Geometric shapes and light soffits that look like skylights punctuate the ceiling. At the center of the ceiling is a circle that is mirrored by a much larger circle on the floor. This circle is divided into four quadrants, which in turn divides the exercise room into different areas of concentration -- walking exercises, back exercises and so on.

The flooring in each exercise room is vinyl composition tile. The checkerboard pattern that orients patients in other parts of the center is repeated here as a border. The lighting is fluorescent.

Throughout the Whitaker Center, ease of maintenance was a primary consideration when selecting finishes. According to Ford, wheelchairs can be particularly hard on corridor walls. For this reason, the handrail divides the walls into the upper portion that is finished with a texturized vinyl wall covering and the lower portion finished with paint.

"Touching up a painted wall is much easier and more economical than repairing wall covering," explains Ford. "But we needed some wall covering to soften the appearance of the space. So dividing the wall was a good compromise."

The handrail that divides the wall was pre-existing. The designers updated the look with a back-plate finished in the appropriate accent color and natural oak trim. All of the wood finishes throughout the facility are oak for a warmer and less institutional look.

Patient Quarters
As in most rehabilitation centers, patients share rooms at the Whitaker Center as a means of lending support and comfort to one another on the road to recovery. Nevertheless, some privacy is desired. A custom-designed wardrobe unit alongside each bed helps to separate patients' spaces within each double room. The units feature a door that patients can open from bed in order to get their clothes and dress in bed if necessary. There are also shelves and a bulletin board built-in to the wardrobes.

Each patient bathroom has patterned ceramic tiles on the floor and walls. Ceramic was chosen for durability and aesthetic value.

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