Thesis

Hi committee members. I will be depositing my thesis paper and presentation documents here. Please feel free to add comments and edits. Thank you, Jenna

Thesis Prep-Test # 1. Who are the leading color experts?

Experts for the past:
Faber Birren
Frank Mahnke

Experts from the present:
Color Marketing group: CMG
Jackie Jordan: Director of Marketing, SHerwin WIlliams
Leatrice Eiseman-The Color Answer Book: From the World's Leading Color Expert
Color: Messages and Meanings, a Pantone^® Color Resource
More Alive With Color, Personal Colors – Personal Style
Colors For Your Every Mood
Pantone^® Guide To Communicating With Color
Sources:
Gerard, R. Differential effects of colored lights on psychophysiological functions.
Joe Halloack: http://www.joehallock.com/edu/COM498/index.html

Quotes:
Color Sells...and the Right Colors Sell Better!-CMG

Exterior Louvers

http://www.suncontrolers.com/

Color Therapy-Ayurveda

Ayurveda-means “knowledge of life”. It is a holistic health system, which fosters the natural harmony between body, mind and soul. Ayurveda considers the human being as an inseparable unity of body, mind and soul. Instead of dealing only with the health or disease of separate organs, the well-being of the whole person is emphasized.

The seven colours of the spectrum namely, violet, indigo, blue, green, yellow, orange, red are said to be the seven rays or the deities or the sun!

The therapeutic qualities of colour are the crucial part of subtle mental and pranic life-force nutrition as it energizes the nerves, which in turn stimulates the mind.

Colour preferences are innate. You are born with an attraction for particular colour. What you feel about them will probably remain with you throughout your life. Your colour choice is the result of your genes, early childhood memories, education, parent's beliefs, cultural trainings, political learning's and other aspects of life-style.

Colour has been known to have some of the most powerful effects on our mind and body. Colour contains the energy of the Sun, the life restoring force >of nature. Hence, colour as well as music and fragrance are the efficient modes of nature to connect with the subconscious core. Light and Colours have an effect on the total energetic system of the body. Light is absorbed through the eyes as well as through the skin by our sensory nerve endings.Colours act like gems; they increase the aura the astral body.This is the ambit of pure colour, and is suitable for subtle or spiritual healing.

Use of Colours

Colour therapy affects the mind more than it affects the body. Thus there is greater consideration of the Satwik, Rajasik and Tamasic (three basic qualities if the mind) effects of colour, even more in their effect on the physical constitution.
Satwa: all colours have shades that are satwik, rajasik or tamasic, so it is imperative to use only the satwik shades- those shades that bring joy, harmony and serenity.
Best colours are: white, gold, violet and blue.
Rajas: colours- bright, loud, flashy, artificial and rajasic shades- bright metallic, penetrating, are sometimes useful when there is low or inert energy. Combinations of opposite colours can also be too stimulating and irritating.
Rajasic colours are: yellow, orange, red, purple.

Tamas: these colours are dull, dark, turbid and muddy, they cause the mind and senses to become heavy, inert and congested.
Tamasic colours are: brown, black and grey.

White and black are not really considered colours, but are polar opposites of light and dark, from which colour is produced. When healing, primary colours should be used in their most characteristic shades.

Ayurvedic Concept of Colour Therapy

Vedic astrological and architectural scriptures make the use of colours to represent different deities. The seven colours of the spectrum namely, violet, indigo, blue, green, yellow, orange, red are said to be the seven rays or the deities or the sun!
Colour Therapy balances the mental and physical doshas through the sense of sight. Colours are absorbed primarily through the eyes or Alochak Pitta and secondarily through the skin Bhrajak Pitta.
The therapeutic qualities of colour are the crucial part of subtle mental and pranic life-force nutrition as it energizes the nerves, which in turn stimulates the mind.
Colour therapy is a technique of restoring imbalances in the body by applying coloured light to the body. Through coloured archetypes the individual can become aware of areas once vague or subconscious, in need of further development or understanding, allowing for increased opportunities of developing one’s inner and outer potential. Each and every colour has a driving force within our very cell consciousness, which in turn has a driving force within the consciousness of the whole person. Bringing colour into our daily lives, acts as a catalyst and motivator to recognize our self-image.

http://www.vedic-academy.com/ayurveda/about_ayurveda.htm

Elgin Mental Health Center-Goldberg Buildings- MID 540 Studio Specialization Project

I have selected The Elgin Mental Health Center in Elgin, IL as my site location. Upon visiting the facility we stumble across a hidden gem, Bertrand Goldberg’s Medical buildings located right here in Elgin! Fascinated by this cylindrical-modern structure, Lauren and I begin to research. We found a book in our local Gale Borden Library, which focuses on the history of the Elgin Mental Health Center. Lauren contacted the author, Bill Briska. He has been a wealth of knowledge in the development of our project. Bill, having worked at EMHC for 25+ years has so generously given his time to explain his experiences and knowledge of Bertrand Goldberg's Medical buildings.

Bertand Goldberg's Medical Surgical Building

Fact Sheet-

Bill Briska

Purpose: to replace the 80 bed General Hospital Building constructed in 1921.

Cost $5 million

Architect: Bertrand Goldberg and Associates

Ground breaking: Former Gov. William Stratton present. Date: 1965?

Construction phase: Spring 1965 thru Nov 1967.

Occupancy: 11-20-1967

Formal dedication: 5-24-1968, Gov Sam Shapiro present.

Capacity: 176 beds.  Double rooms with shared baths,  four single rooms per floor. Four floors.  Actual capacity varied throughout the years with most years having less than the designed capacity of 176.

Milestones: Surgery ended within a few years of opening the building.  Lab services gradually phased in late 1980s and early 1990s. These services contracted out to community based medical hospitals.

Conversion of patient units to office space begins in about 1987. Last patient leaves in 1992.

Building vacated: July 2002 virtually all operations moved out of the building. Some switchboard and computer file servers functions continued in one small area.

Prepared by Bill Briska, May 22, 2007

Medical Surgical Building- Notes from meeting with Bill Briska 2/23/2011
104,000 sq. ft.      1967 – 2002, Concrete construction.

Goldberg's attention to detail in the hospital building is apparent. Why are there no windows in the square building? Does this have something to do with contrast? (Note: Need to do further research.)

The building was considered a prototype for circular plan hospitals and building later constructed in Chicago.

Problems to address in redesign-
Problems with hospital building- Lack of way finding-color would be a good way to resolve this.
Everything looks the same on every floor. Patients with dementia get lost trying to find their roomshttp://couriernews.suntimes.com/news/1721986-418/building-buildings-goldberg-emhc-elgin.html?print=true

·         Limited storage/office space

·         Concrete masonry walls- very hard to retrofit for new utilities and or redesign.

·         Not a flexible plan.

Louvers on exterior, motorized controlled on roof top to allow for sunlight control into patient rooms.

·         Trouble maintaining

·         About 50 hinged louvers per column. 

·         Eventually all louvers were left at a 45 degree.

This became a privacy issue for patients. At ground level looking up, not much privacy at all. (Note: Louvers we an interesting feature and part of the design intent, how can we preserve this concept?)

Patient Rooms- General notes:

·         2-4 patients per room with shared bathrooms

·         Plan-elevators and stairs in the central core

·         Nursing stations on the outer walls of patient rooms

·         Nice layout for nurses to see patients.

Square building-

·         Upper and lower level-Related to functions very well.

·         Dark hallways, no light to offices, no windows

·         Plan-Reception, switch board, offices, podiatry, Audio room, eye, dentist, surgery, exam, med records, central supplies, pharmacy, labs and x-ray

·         Loading dock

Lower level-
Plan-Kitchen, cafe, morgue, chapel, storage, mechanical
No windows

Plans from research-

Medical building map

Hospital building plan

Medical buildings-elevations

Hospital building deatiled plan

http://digital-libraries.saic.edu/cdm4/item_viewer.php?CISOROOT=/mqc&CISOPTR=2010&CISOBOX=1&REC=4

MID 540 Specialization Design Solution-Elgin Mental Health Center

Graphic standards for VA Menatl HEalth Facility
http://www.cfm.va.gov/til/dGuide/dgMH.pdf

The Ceiling as a 5th Wall in Medical Spaces

So I am now officially working on my thesis proposal. Why are the ceilings always white in these types of places? I think it's a fair question!