Koh Fang Yun & Lee Song Lin
Our project, Motion for Rehabilitation, is a therapy room/rehabilitation centre that aims to inject fun and novelty into therapy/rehabilitation, and also motivate patients in therapy.
Contextual Collage
Context
The bases for our project:
The ageing population: The elderly proportion in Singapore is targeted to hit 25% by 2030. This implies there will be an increased need for accessible healthcare and an increased need for physiotherapy and rehabilitation.
Recovery time in therapy: Recovery time varies depending on the type of condition (e.g. muscle injuries may take 2 weeks to heal, whereas cartilage injuries may take 12 weeks.). The typical duration of treatment is 6-8 weeks, but there are also cases of non-recovery, which would be chronic conditions that require constant treatment. The recovery time and duration of treatment are also affected by the patient’s motivation and effort to work towards recovery.
Patients’ motivation to adhere to therapy treatment plans: At the time of discharge, there would be 100% adherence to therapy treatment plans. However, in just 3 months, it’s found that adherence drops to 20.3%. In a year, adherence drops to 4.3%. Various factors influence a patient’s motivation. Difficulty in their mobility or transportation will decrease their motivation to go for therapy. Having no one to accompany them to therapy may also decrease their motivation.
Our project aims to target these problems in 2 ways:
Through increasing accessibility, such that the therapy/rehabilitation centre is like an extension of the living room. Making it a mobile structure would enable it to serve different communities.
Through improving the therapy experience, so that therapy becomes more stimulating and more conducive for the patient’s healing.
Project Statement:
The future of healthcare sees the move towards a decentralized model with community-based healthcare services. To supplement current rehabilitation and therapy services, our proposal, guided by the principle of transformational geometries, features a series of positively pressured airlocked spaces and an inflated moving space sandwiched between a frame structure. The project seeks to explore dynamic and stimulating spaces that are more conducive for rehabilitation and therapy.
Section (top) and plan (bottom)
Programmatic layout
Outdoor therapy spaces
Key renders showing the various programmes and spatial experiences in the project
Programmes:
The therapy/rehabilitation centre consists of a series of several inflated tubes that differ in programme. Wellness pods are for the general public to enjoy a calming environment, which is created through the subtle oscillatory movement of the tubes and isochronous auditory rhythms. Caregiver’s pods are for those accompanying patients. Consultation rooms are for individual patients to meet their physician for physical therapy. The physician can set the oscillatory movement of the tubes (visual trigger) and auditory cues to suit the patient’s needs. Service pods are for physicians and other medical practitioners to conduct administrative tasks or for downtime. The spaces outside of the inflated tubes are used for outdoor therapy, where patients can get functional exercise without feeling stifled in a typical clinical environment.
Transformation diagram showing how the centre would be constructed from modules, and the various spaces in section.
Detail drawings showing how the inflated bubble is support from the polycarbonate ceiling (top left) and how the inflated tubes are sealed to minimise air leaks (bottom left). Air-body diagram shows how the system works together and affects the human body (right).
Feedback:
The project tackles the real problem of making therapy more accessible. The form is appealing; one commented that he liked the intestine-like quality of the inflated tubes.
However, the form could be explored further, to create more varied spatial experiences. Suggestions include to vary the width of the tubes. The link between the form and the programme could be stronger as well.
Original source from: http://asd.courses.sutd.edu.sg/option-studio-two/2021/08/16/week-13-final-review-6/
