Global Brings Human-Centred Thinking to Fast-Growing Healthcare Fields
Healthcare Design | May 03, 2021 | AZURE magazine
Hospitals are changing. While dull, clinical spaces formulated according to a one-size-fits-all institutional checklist still come to mind when we think of healthcare spaces, a new model of care is emerging. Emphasizing the patient experience, designers are transforming acute, critical and senior living spaces to support wellbeing. For Global Furniture Group, it’s an evolution 35 years in the making.
An international leader in healthcare furnishings since 1985, Global has pursued a human-centred approach to furniture. Its designs deliver clinical performance — with high-grade fabrics that stand up to both the strictest Infection Prevention and Control (IPAC) protocols and long-term, all-day use. Combining residential comfort and hospitality-inspired style, Global’s furnishings help foster a holistic sense of wellness from the moment people enter a facility.
Primacare lounge seating at Regional Integrated Cancer Centre (CRIC). Architecture by Jodoin Lamarre Pratte Architects. PHOTO: Patrick St-Arnaud
Boasting an expansive portfolio for every type of healthcare setting, Global ensures each piece of furniture connotes comfort and care. From the sociable River+ lounges to the comprehensive Sonoma patient and resident room series, the company offers highly customizable solutions. Designers are able to specify with precision, combining a variety of finishes and configurations with an impressive array of technical options.
Consider the popular Primacare Modular seating series, which can be customized with performance fabrics and a choice of durable frames that include everything from power outlets and USB modules to armrests and tabletops. Designed to ensure that all components are removable, repairable and replaceable on-site, the collection can be easily adapted to changing needs — and thereby stands out as one of the most sustainable and cost-effective products on the market.
This technical innovation is deeply informed by human experience, and these furnishings improve quality of life by fostering comfortable, dignified and caring environments. In senior living communities, Global’s offerings help shape interiors that provide the safe delivery of clinical services — all while retaining a welcoming residential ambiance. The company has even partnered with healthcare providers to develop purpose-built furniture to improve senior wellbeing. One such collaboration is the Enable table. The bespoke design allows staff to adjust the height of its integrated tablet surfaces in order to accommodate individuals in variously sized wheelchairs without disrupting others at the table. This lets residents remain with their dining group, strengthening a sense of community while minimizing changes to established routines.
The Primacare Modular Recliner at Regional Integrated Cancer Centre (CRIC). PHOTO: Patrick St-Arnaud
In acute and clinical healthcare settings, a focus on inclusive spaces and reduced anxiety defines Global’s specialized furnishings. Without sacrificing style and comfort, the company’s healthcare range also incorporates smart design details that enable every furniture surface to be cleaned and disinfected, along with tamper-proof sealed seams to keep contraband, bed bugs and bacteria out. The result is a well-considered space where tension is replaced by tranquility. This is furniture designed for healthcare and — more importantly — for people.
*This article was first published in AZURE magazine.
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