A teenage and young adult cancer unit at the Southampton General Hospital in U.K. has been designed to be as comfortable as possible, according to an article on the Health State Journal. The unit includes six en suite bedrooms, a four-bed day unit, social space and support facilities designed with bright and engaging décor.

“Suddenly finding yourself in hospital can be disorientating, particularly for young people, so creating a safe, welcoming space was essential. Key was the use of easily identifiable areas that clearly demarcated the differing functions of each space,” said architect Mark Maffey, Studio Mode.

Colorful flooring was chosen for the treatment areas, and calmer, wood effect flooring, for areas for rest and relaxation, the article said.

“Via this approach, this the flooring told an emotive story. The colorful floors of the treatment rooms meet the wood effect floor of the safe social areas as a diagonal line running down the center of the corridor. This impactful design statement further enhances the distinction between each space, and strikes a line through the heart of the scheme — taking patients from their point of entry to the lounge. Deliberately created to reference a student common room, the lounge represents all that is normal — something yearned for by the young patients,”  Maffey said.

Read the article.