The Practicality and Pleasing Design Of a Bidirectional Door
The design of a hospital needs to come together in such a way that it works for those who work there. Doctors and nurses need to be able to navigate between rooms and wards with ease, especially during emergencies. All too often, though, this approach leads to hospitals that are extremely functional yet lack character. Incorporating and installing a bidirectional door can enable easy movement without sacrificing visual appeal, though. Here’s how:
Bring the Human Element into Practical Design
There’s a constant push-pull relationship between form and function. While you want to provide a comfortable, aesthetically pleasing environment for patients to enjoy, it often comes at the expense of traffic flow, or the other way around.
Bidirectional doors can improve traffic in locations that would otherwise be too busy. In front-facing rooms meant for patients and their families, this adds greater function. In other parts of the hospital less concerned with design, they’re a great way to bring in comforting design elements.
Ease of Movement
The main purpose of a bidirectional door is controlling traffic flow. Hospitals are high-traffic environments, with hundreds of people coming and going at all hours. Bidirectional doors allow those visitors and employees free, quick movement without having to worry about collision or obstruction.
They also allow for emergency access. For example, if someone were to be hurt behind a standard door with a standard lock, staff would have great difficulty in getting to them. The injured party might not be responsive or physically able to move themselves out of the door’s way. Bidirectional and double-acting doors offer ease-of-access in
Design Versus Function
Safety is obviously the main concern inside a hospital. Patients within their care are already in a vulnerable state, and need to be kept safe and sound to get better. As mentioned earlier, to maintain this level of safety, all aspects of a hospital must work together. Due to this standard, many hospitals sacrifice appearance for practicality. While this isn’t necessarily a bad thing, it can leave hospitals feeling sterile, and discomforting for the patients and staff inside.
It doesn’t have to be this way. Many b-directional door suppliers have taken these thoughts into account and have designed doors that are as aesthetically pleasing as they are practical. Bi-directional door companies want their doors to inspire comfort through safety and appearance.
A patient’s state of mind can hinder or improve their progress. Being in a sterile and unattractive environment can dampen their spirits, prolonging recovery.
It is worth it to invest in a bidirectional door (or “bi-directional door”) that combine form and function in order to create a beautiful yet efficient atmosphere.