Approximately five years ago, Studio Gad was commissioned to transform a pre-existing office building in Tel Aviv’s Kiryat Atidim district into a state-of-the-art private hospital and medical facility. Studio Gad spearheaded the Raphael Private Hospital’s interior design in collaboration with the architectural firm Shauer Architects. Together, they created an original aesthetic language that manifests a boutique hospitality-oriented experience that calms and soothes patients undergoing treatments and offers a comfortable experience for visiting family and friends. The approach enacted by Studio Gad was based around the human need to mitigate stress and nervousness while entering a hospital, exemplifying how aesthetics can play an essential role in the medical treatment, healing and recovery process.
Studio Gad anchored the Raphael Private Hospital interiors around an aesthetic entrance as the focal point, which immediately put patients at ease at the first step into the building. Within the entrance sits a contemporary art gallery featuring revolving art exhibitions by Israeli artists and coincides with the concept that injects culture within the world of medicine, an idea of monumental importance for Studio Gad. Curated by Sharon Tuval, the first exhibition at Raphael Private Hospital presents original video artworks by the French-Israeli visual artist Michal Platnik. Studio Gad also designed and constructed iron and brass installations as three-dimensional side paneling, with atypical lighting constructions embedded into the walls themselves.
When creating original interior design schemes for the hospital, Studio Gad considered the patient's visit and sensory experience and how each space would be subconsciously internalized. Studio Gad embraced and prioritized the effects of the five human senses as a focal point of the experience, similar to that in designing a hotel and private spaces, including:
1. Sight, creating a visual language that is clear and coherent throughout the project's areas while designing lighting fixtures that evolve and dim throughout the day
2. Sound, focusing upon acoustics of the hospital, a factor of critical importance to produce a calming and quiet atmosphere for patients
3. Smell, a custom-made scent that travels through the ventilation systems and offers patients a relaxed atmosphere similar to that of boutique hotels while also eliminating unpleasant odors that might be more associated with the medical world
4. Taste, with a lobby-side bakery and restaurant accessible for both the patients, family and friends to enjoy ensnared within a stylish space that is reminiscent of a boutique hotel.
5. Touch, each of the hospital’s waiting lounges and common areas are adorned in plush upholstered furniture and fashioned alongside natural oak partitions, making the spaces feel extremely tactile, comfortable and luxurious at the same time.
