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December 7-December 20, 2016 — COLORADO REAL ESTATE JOURNAL — Page 43
Colliers exists to assist healthcare clients in developing strategies that increase
revenue, improve performance and grow market share, with the common goal
of generating measurable results. In an industry as crucial and exigent as
healthcare, when difficult challenges arise; count on Colliers to be ready with
customized solutions to help your company forge ahead.
CHRIS WILEY
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CHERYLE POWELL
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Revenue
$2.5B
(US$)
Managing
2.0B Comprised of
16,000
professional square feet
Lease/sale transactions80,000 $112B
(US$)
Established in66
countries
Transactional value
HAPPY HEALTHY HOLIDAY
Colliers International, your local and national healthcare real estate advisors, would like to wish you a happy and healthy holiday season.
S itting across from Army Sgt.
Daniel Tsutsumi, I see his
desperation. That look of cop-
ing with the reality; paralyzed
from the neck down, barely
recalling how that happened. “Where
were you stationed?” I asked.
“I did two tours in Iraq,” he
explained.
“What is your recall of that place?”
I inquired.
“Intensely barren and hot,” he
shared.
And then, the key question, “What
is your favorite place?”
“My parents’ home,” he replied.
“The den has large windows with
lots of trees in the yard and a worn
comfortable leather sofa where I
hung out with my friends.” And then,
a plea: “I just want to be normal
again. Have a place where I can have
my friends over and feel normal.”
This delicate process of procuring
information was the first step toward
recovery for Sgt. Tsutsumi. A hot, arid
environment would be a trigger, a
major block to healing. On the other
hand, an environment that evoked
those pleasant memories would be
comforting and allow both physical
and mental healing to take place.
Normal was the operative word – a
key component for every wounded
warrior.
The beginning. Impassioned by
the sacrifice of our young veterans,
I decided after 9/11 to help, to give
back to those who fought for free-
dom by using what I loved most,
architecture and interior design, to
their benefit. Thus was born Design-
ing for Veterans, dedicated to provid-
ing custom environments that not
only are accessible and functional,
but aid in the recov-
ery.
Understand-
ing that the built
environment does
impact a person’s
ability to heal was
an important truth.
For example, it
has been statisti-
cally proven in
health care that
a red room raises
the patient’s blood
pressure. The result
can be a false
reading. Take the
patient out of the
red room and his
blood pressure drops to normal.
With over 25 years of professional
design experience, coupled with
training in mental health, I embarked
on a research program partially fund-
ed with a grant from the American
Society of Interior Designers Founda-
tion – the Irene Winfred Eno Grant. I
began testing her hypotheses using
the evidence-based design process.
Over time, my team and I established
a set of therapeutic design elements
key to a veteran’s recovery and
proved that the built environment
does have an impact on recovery.
Sensory perception is one of those
key elements. A sense of quality in
the environment translates into a
sense of value and worth. Designs
that create a sense of normalcy are
impacting. In other words, the entire
premise of the work we do is design-
ing an environment that will not be a
constant reminder a disability.
It is a therapeutic approach. Veter-
ans sense much more of the environ-
ment than just sight, sound, touch
and smell. We must recognize and
acknowledge that a veteran’s sensory
perceptions have been dramatically
increased due to service in the mili-
tary and especially having combat
experience. For them, or anyone
who has had a traumatic experience,
there is a heightened perceptual sen-
sitivity to their environment.
Another element is mood lines.
Architecture and interiors specifically
impact the mood of an individual.
Tall columns and drapes are strong
vertical lines that provide a sense of
stability and security. Jagged flame
stitch wallpaper can make a person
irritated and upset.
Nature itself is the most thera-
peutic aspect of our work. Large
windows with nature in view can
increase recovery rates dramatically;
even one small green bush outside a
veteran’s window has proven to have
impact statistically.
A case study by design. Army Sgt.
Daniel Tsutsumi’s project was a case
study that established many of the
therapeutic design elements used by
Designing for Veterans today. A high-
end residential project, it approached
design from a therapeutic perspec-
tive in unique ways that one would
never realize from just looking at the
interior.
With limited space, due to set
backs and zoning restrictions, a
900-square-foot studio addition was
designed to both support and chal-
lenge the veteran during his rehabili-
tation process. From a psychological
perspective, it needed to look normal
Carol Way Cisco
Senior Interior
Designer,
Rowland+
Broughton
Architecture/Urban
Design/Interior
Design, Aspen
To avoid a constant reminder of disability, the queen-size “hospital” bed could not look
like one.
Health Care & Senior Housing Spotlight