Environments with sensitive focus
Some environments have a specially focused and particularly sensitive purpose and use. In such situations, your design team must become familiar with the details, the use requirements and even the philosophies driving the desired vision outcome.
When an environment must embrace certain emotional or intellectual persuasions and activities, the professional design team often is confronted with unique, additional responsibilities. Some of those responsibilities involve the need for unusual or unconventional approaches concerning the choices, advice, resources and materials accessed in the process of delivering the project.
In some instances, there may be taboos involving certain colors, accessories, art theming, sound, light treatments and “style” choices. Those taboos may be related to philosophical, spiritual, financial or political systems embraced by the institution in focus.
While institutions such as churches are operated frugally, but nonetheless as businesses, your designer walks a fine line between pragmatism and aesthetics.
In the case of elaborate and highly decorative environments such as churches, cathedrals, temples or memorials, design professionals are challenged with balancing intense, long-established tradition with the desire to contemporize. Just as tastes and trends evolve with generational change, so do the challenges of reaching the modern generation while preserving those traditional precepts.
Organizations and congregations alike, attempt to keep pace with the ways in which modern communication and behaviors impact affiliation. Environment is key to influencing such efforts. An environment immersed in only extremely historical and traditional elements and presentation may be hard-pressed to attract a contemporary membership that finds it difficult to relate. It can be offensive to traditionalists to completely abandon historic patterns.
Research into the historical patterns of the institution must comingle with an acute ear for how its leadership wishes to move it forward through adjustments to its environmental presentation.
In some cases, the focus is in restoration and preservation of exactly how it has presented over time. Professional design teams are fully informed concerning accessing materials, methods and craftspersons specializing in exacting restoration.
If that “exacting restoration” is financially prohibitive, faux solutions can be amazingly satisfying. With new methods and materials, very old environments can be refurbished when the cost of true restoration is not financially possible. The opportunities and resources are multiple. For instance, artists can create painted columns that rival actual marble in grace and presentation; and, do it at competitive cost.
Many businesses seek “retreat” facilities for training or respite activities. For creativity to permeate business paradigms, interior design choices and configurations are a paramount factor.
The very term business retreat implies a moving away from the regular environment. However, to accomplish the goals of such events, the facility must serve and support the business' intentions and needs for successful seminars, workshops, writing, physical fitness and other activities.
Assisted living facilities also have unique, specialized missions. Such environments strive to fill a need once almost exclusively handled in the home. Designing environments that ensure safety and provide limited assistance for elders is an exciting opportunity. These are individuals who are no longer completely selfsufficient, but are not yet in need of constant nursing care. Designers must address an atmosphere of home, and warmth, confidence in safety and security that does not feel rigid and accessible recreation appropriate to the residents' capability.
Designing for special focus requires thorough communication, thoughtful expertise and thinking outside that box.
Robert Boccabella, B.F.A. is principal and founder of Business Design Services and a certified interior designer in private practice for over 30 years. Boccabella provides Designing to Fit the Vision© in collaboration with writingservice@earthlink.net. To contact him call 707-263-7073; email him at rb@BusinessDesignServices.com or visit www.BusinessDesignServices.com or on Facebook at Business Design Services.