By Eva Höschl
Eva Höschl examines how colour, material and spatial design can support people in palliative care. The article begins with her personal experience of accompanying her mother at home during the final phase of life and later witnessing her father die on a palliative care ward. This contrast led her to reflect on the importance of the rooms in which dying takes place.
She notes that many people in Germany wish to die at home, but most die in institutions such as hospitals, nursing homes or hospices. Since these environments are not always freely chosen, their design and atmosphere become especially important. A dignified death requires not only care and accompaniment, but also rooms that communicate respect, calm, orientation and security.
Höschl describes the idea of “enveloping spaces”: colour and material concepts should be developed together with leadership, staff, residents or patients and relatives. Such cooperation creates a sense of participation and helps ensure that the atmosphere supports both care processes and human well-being.
The article presents examples from realized projects, including a palliative room in the BRK Neutraubling senior centre, a waiting area at the Barmherzige Brüder Hospital in Regensburg, and areas of the intensive care unit at the University Hospital Regensburg. The examples show how thoughtful lighting, materials, orientation systems and visual warmth can improve quality of life, work processes and the emotional climate of a place.
