At the end of this summer, our friends from Visiondivision will complete their latest commission, a waiting room for a private athletic clinic in Stockholm. By separating the clinic from the larger hospital, the architects were able to create a peaceful haven within the institution. This new section boasts a more refreshing environment that is brightly illuminated and designed for comfort.
More about the clinic and more images after the break.
To emphasize this newly defined space, an automatic sliding glass door makes the room more secluded by separating it from the common corridor. From the corridor, the room’s folded ceiling panels attract the eye and offers a welcoming aesthetic to new patients. Rooted in the usual 60cm x 60cm plates that are found in the hospital and in most public spaces around Sweden, this ceiling disc has a custom twist as it is constructed of pressed transparent paper to function as a lighting fixture.
The module has different variations as the upside down pyramid form can be closed, semi-open and open. These versions allow different amounts of light to escape through the material and are arranged accordingly about the room as more open modules are located above the reception and semi-open above the benches.
The ceiling is infused with different properties such as LED-lightning behind the paper that can softly change color to alter the character of the room. There’s also a larger unique module that becomes a screen where projected information about the clinic, photo slideshows, movies etc can be displayed.
“The ceiling itself is thus a sort of a light fixture that you can focus your attention on while waiting and with its jagged shape it also has excellent acoustic properties. The 60cm x 60cm modular system means that we also can use many standard fixtures regarding electricity, ventilation and so on,” explained the architects.
For the wooden interior, the shade of material changes to be darker closer to the floor and lighter closer to the ceiling and the light. The floor mimics dark walnut but is a plastic mat due to clinic’s cleaning restrictions. The reception desk is 75 cm high so it will be easily accessible for people in wheelchairs and the low height also gives a relaxed first impression for those entering the clinic.
The waiting room consists of 27 seats and some spaces next to a high table for clients that prefer to stand while waiting. Each patient is given a small gadget that beeps when the doctor is ready to see them – eliminating the time it takes for a doctor to come to the office and thus granting more time with the patients.
“Overall it is a pleasant and comfortable waiting room that works well for both the gym and the arthroscopic clinic. The ceiling gives the room a visual consistency and also the ability to vary the experience for those waiting,” added the architects.
