The Psychological and Physiological Effects of Color in
Health Care Environments

General design objectives, sensory stimulation, visual perceptions, fatigue, color consonance and compensation, color associations, as well as, the psychological and physiological effects of color are extremely important considerations in healthcare design. I believe that as designers it is very difficult to veer away from the aesthetics of a particular environment when doing a presentation because it has, up to this point, been the major focus of our concentration. We want to make sure that the space, above all else, is visually pleasing.

As designers we must, however, realize that our first objective is to do the research for the best possible color scheme both physically, emotionally and physiologically for our clients. Realizing that we are not designing a space for ourselves, as we are able to leave that space after the project is completed. The programming phase is truly the most important aspect of obtaining the best possible plan for our clients. We need to talk with our clients and asking important questions to know how they feel about certain colors, and secondly understanding the required function of that space. We then need to analyze the space at different times of day to determine how the lighting affects the areas we have been contracted to design. After we have done the required research and investigations then we should implement and meet all the necessary code compliances necessary to make the space as physically safe as it is visually pleasing.

In order to choose proper color schemes for healthcare environments it is important to first understand how and why we respond to color in certain ways, as well as, how particular   colors affect us psychological and physiological. Our response to color is inherited and learned but is also affected by geographic, region, climate, income and sophistication, as well as, the particular light source that is present.... [continues]

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