The physical spaces in healthcare facilities play a major role in positive patient outcomes. From reducing ambient noise to supporting staff efficiency to reducing human error, a focus on optimizing the design of medical offices and hospital architecture makes sense as part of comprehensive care.
Few design elements have the impact on patient and caregiver well-being that custom woodworking does. Mock is proud of the healthcare woodworking projects we’ve contributed to over the years. As an experienced architectural woodworking company in Northeast and Central Ohio, we’ve seen firsthand how specialty woodworking creates welcoming, nature-inspired environments in facilities that range from clinics to hospitals to specialty care centers.
As you explore options for wellness design in the new construction or renovation of your medical facility, we encourage you to consider the value of including specialty woodworking on counters, furniture, entryways and storage elements.
This article breaks down the ways woodworking can help meet your operational goals with high levels of sustainability, customizability and durability. We also discuss how wood elements help create a calm and healthful space by:
- Reducing stress levels for patients and staff
- Boosting overall morale
- Improving acoustics
- Supporting hygiene standards
How Specialty Woodworking Can Enhance Wellness Design
Designing the spaces where patients receive care is complex. You’ve got to balance the needs of caregivers for efficiency with the desire for comfort and satisfaction for patients and their families – not to mention budgetary and brand concerns from your board or executives.
Custom woodworking can bridge all those competing factors as part of your wellness design by delivering:
Sustainability
Consumers are more focused on sustainable products and processes than ever before. And most companies now attempt to incorporate sustainability as part of their brand image, including healthcare facilities. Wood is an infinitely sustainable resource when it’s used with thoughtfulness and consideration for the future. Mock’s focus on sustainable wood and woodworking processes is rooted in our deep and abiding love for the natural world. From our careful tree species selections to our partnership with the Forestry Stewardship Council, we walk the walk of our commitment to sustainability every day – and you can feel good about the ways our work dovetails with your medical facility’s sustainable values.
Customizability
No two healthcare facilities are exactly alike. Your patient demographics, community culture and specialty offerings may be vastly different from those of another clinic or hospital. Architecture and design are the foundational building blocks for delivering the best possible care that’s specific to your location and patient population. One of the main benefits of Mock Woodworking’s craftsmanship is the way we tailor our services to each individual client. Unlike carpentry firms, we’re an architectural woodworking company that’s involved in every step of your new construction or reno project, from initial planning to finishing touches. We get to know your staff’s pain points and process needs, then customize our woodworking to elevate your wellness design with tailored solutions that make day-to-day operations more efficient and enjoyable.
Durability
Cleaning is a continuous task in any healthcare setting. To reduce risks of cross-contamination, all surfaces must be able to stand up to frequent wipe-downs with germ-killing cleaners. Mock’s specialty woodworking is up to the challenge. Our work is crafted to endure heavy use with high-quality, furniture-grade finishes that seal in the beauty of our medium for impressive durability. You can count on the custom woodworking we create for your facility to remain beautiful and fluid-resistant for the long haul.
How Wood Features Can Contribute to the Well-Being of Patients and Staff
Beyond enhancing the physical characteristics of your healthcare facility, Mock’s specialty woodworking can help promote health and well-being for your patients and staff. Recent research supports what many of us have known instinctively for a long time: that woodwork in healthcare settings positively impacts all humans in those spaces. That’s because a wellness design that includes wood works to:
Create a Welcoming Environment
Not only is woodworking objectively beautiful, but it appeals to our innate attraction to natural materials and nature-based concepts, aka biophilia. Entering a space designed with wood elements can produce the same calming effect as a walk on a nature path or a glimpse of trees and flowers through a window. The warm, natural appearance of wooden cabinetry, counters, furniture and other elements helps patients, family members and medical staff feel welcomed and comfortable in their surroundings – which sets the scene for better outcomes.
Contribute to Lower Stress Levels
Stress is widely known to have a negative effect on healing and recovery from injury, illness or surgery. Incorporating biophilic materials like wood into wellness designs for healthcare facilities has been shown to reduce stress levels for both patients and caregivers. Measured by heart rate, blood pressure and cortisol levels, the stress-lowering effects of wooden environmental elements on patients and caregivers in a healthcare setting are undeniable – and impressive.
Boost Morale Among Patients and Staff
It makes sense that people who feel welcomed and comfortable in a space and exhibit lower physiological stressors would also report higher morale. That is exactly the case with studies of people in medical facilities that feature woodworking in their wellness design. Boosted morale among hospital or clinical staff translates to better patient care – which in turn results in happier patients who heal or recover more quickly.
Improve Acoustics
Improving the acoustics of medical facilities supports patient privacy and caregiver efficacy. When conversations or interactions between patients and their caregivers transfer through walls or doorways, the perception of privacy quickly erodes. And when caregivers have difficulty hearing their patients due to ambient noise, they cannot deliver the best care. Wood is an obvious solution to this problem, given its natural acoustic properties. Previous Mock Woodworking projects – like the doweled panels created for the Corbett Auditorium at the University of Cincinnati – demonstrate our intimate knowledge of wood’s benefits and our creative approach to meeting a project’s needs.
Support Hygiene Standards
Medical facilities need design elements that not only look good but are easy to keep clean. Mock Woodworking’s state-of-the-art dedicated finishing facility guarantees a furniture-grade finish on all specialty woodworking for healthcare environments we produce. That means your custom cabinetry and furniture will withstand repeated cleaning without losing its warm, welcoming appearance.
Your Wellness Architectural Woodworking Company
Ready to see how Mock’s custom woodworking can enhance the efficiency, comfort and care of your new or existing healthcare facility? Get an idea of the caliber and scope of our work in our project gallery. Then contact us to begin your journey to a wellness design that fits your staff’s needs and supports your patient’s positive outcomes.