Medical Office Waiting Room
Medical office waiting room for Mental Health America’s new clinic located in Austin. The clinic waiting room focuses on prioritizing the visual experience of patients with Schizophrenia. The interior environment provides a calming space where the patient can feel liberated and safe. This is offered through the balance between natural materials and structured elements to create a familiar and clear domain.
Since schizophrenia is a disorder of the senses, those affected find it difficult to filter the surrounding information. Reflective surfaces such as mirrors, glass walls and doors, or other shiny textures along with patterns are avoided especially as flooring because they tend to create optical illusions and may convince the patient they are “seeing things”.
Floor Plan
The waiting room stays away from strong colors that are overwhelming to patients since Schizophrenics tend to reject color and prefer non-saturated colors that do not over-dominate. Natural and solid materials such as wood and concrete are incorporated along with greenery to bring the outdoors in and create a space that is calming and tranquil. Having vertical lines as a major design element conveys a sense of freedom and strength while also making the surroundings feel spacious.
Desk Elevation
Seating Area Elevation
Entry Perspective
Process Images