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"As a furnishing partner, you can make hospitals better"
The optimal care environment focuses on the well-being of patients. That offers the best chances for a speedy recovery. As a project designer, we support the healing environment with good interior design. Gispen provides furniture, materials and fabrics that meet specific requirements; colors that match the identity of the (university) hospital and ergonomic and aesthetic customization. We build hospitals with a specialized team: from interior architect and (sustainability) consultant to project leader. It is no coincidence that five of the seven UMCs work closely with Gispen.
Gispen is the market leader in hospital furnishings. Peter van der Linden, New Business Manager at Gispen: “In recent decades, we have increasingly focused on the design of care and welfare institutions. The design of healing environments in (university) hospitals is another specialism within this field. To this end, we work with core teams that are involved in design, layout, customization, project planning, sustainability and ergonomics.”
Gispen plays various roles within the hospital world. We see a common thread in this diversity: unburdening. Van der Linden: “We can draw up a complete interior design plan based on a Schedule of Requirements. We adapt that plan to the requirements of the various hospital departments: from a more public outpatient clinic to a very private infectious disease unit. We can also take on the role of sustainability partner and create a program to make the furniture completely circular. Gispen is a consultant, furnisher, designer, ergonomist, custom furniture maker and upholsterer, service and maintenance party, project manager, relocation and interior specialist... The demand from hospitals is leading, our aim is to unburden them.”
“As a furnishing partner, we play different roles with the common thread: unburdening.”
Almost immediately, Van der Linden adds that the client's question is of course central, but that his care team always looks for the question behind the question and the intention behind a comment. “Sustainability is an important task. Even in hospitals. But you can do that in different ways. You can also implement sustainability through local production, new circular furniture or (a view of) green Revitalizing your current furniture and taking it with you to new construction is the most sustainable solution. We partly revitalize with people with a distance to the labor market, Gispen is PSO30+ certified.”
That questioning certainly applies to Gispen's interior architect, Nelleke Lagerwerf. “We don't answer a simple question like '50 tables with a screen' with a standard quote. We want to know who is using the display. And is there a healthcare professional sitting at that table? With a patient? Does the ICT department have certain infrastructural requirements? Only when we have all those stakeholders in sight do we come up with a proposal and/or test placement. For example, Gispen supplies a table with a screen that both answers the initial question and supports the care conversation.”
An interior design for a hospital has specific requirements. Lagerwerf: “An optimal healing environment contributes to faster recovery. At the same time, it is a working environment in which healthcare professionals must be able to work efficiently and professionally. This requires well thought-out design. Think of wider dimensions for obese patients, different upholstery technology to keep dirt out of folds, or special materials for optimal cleaning. We are happy to discuss specific requirements with a team of our specialists and with (healthcare) professionals.”
“An optimal healing environment contributes to recovery. At the same time it is a working environment. That requires well thought-out design.”
This interdisciplinary collaboration regularly leads to innovation. For example, the Gispen care team recently tested various synthetic leathers for disinfectants with cleaners and infection specialists from a UMC. Van der Linden: “These kinds of experiments help healthcare. In addition, we at Gispen continue to develop as a furnishing partner for hospitals. We like to share our knowledge. Gispen wants to optimally support the healing environment and help improve healthcare.”
“An optimal healing environment contributes to faster recovery. At the same time, it is a working environment in which healthcare professionals must be able to work efficiently and professionally. That requires well-thought-out design.”
In an optimal healthcare environment, patients and visitors feel at home and your employees can provide the best care.
We (re)use existing furniture
Projects carried out for hospitals and healthcare centres.
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