Transforming Hospitals with Light: Creating a Comforting and Welcoming Ambience
The render of East Tennessee Children’s hospital was driven by the idea that hospitals shouldn’t be a dark, scary place which children avoid. Hospitals were meant to be a comforting and welcoming place, a place of refuge for our young warriors. To accommodate our warriors who need rest.
In order to achieve the comforting ambience we wanted to present through the rendering, there were many approaches. One of which was through modeling and lighting. Both aspects work hand in hand, each with their own roles and purposes to provide the mood we were trying to achieve.
Creating mood through modeling and lighting is a one combo package. As we wanted to make use of both natural and artificial lighting.
Clay render of East Tennessee Children’s Hospital
Natural lighting, the warmth and welcoming:Natural lighting gives off a warm and welcoming ambience, uplifting the whole mood of the render. As natural light is one of the key aspects of a great render, especially a comfy one. The natural warm tones of the sunlight, especially the golden hour peeking at the back and the light entering the building through the transparent bridges feels safe. The transparent bridges and roof on the outdoor space on top allows natural light to enter, giving a feeling of freedom. As we’re able to see out to the world, and not feel caged.
The dark clouds serve as a contrast to the golden hour, with the dark clouds the warm tones are able to shine even more. Proving that there’s always sunshine after a storm.
Artificial lighting:Natural lighting’s limited availability means that there has to be something constant. A safety net that assures when even there’s no sun out, we’ll have sun in. Warm choices of lights shows us even in parts of the hospital where sunshine doesn’t enter, it still provides the same warmth and welcoming nature.
A similar case of utilizing both natural and artificial lighting is “Senja Coffee & Memories”, where we also wanted to create a calm and inviting environment. An eye catcher, as when the streets are dark, here it is shining and waiting for you to come.
In conclusion, the rendering of East Tennessee Children's Hospital focused on creating a comforting and welcoming environment through the use of modeling and lighting. Natural lighting, including the golden hour and light entering through transparent features, brought warmth and a sense of safety. The contrast of dark clouds enhanced the overall ambiance. Artificial lighting complemented the natural light, providing a consistent source of warmth and reassurance. Together, these lighting techniques successfully transformed the hospital's atmosphere, offering a refuge where children can find comfort and healing.