Abstract
As patients prefer large scale hospitals recently, the interior design of general hospitals are conspicuously improving. In the past, most patients visit hospitals to get treatment on diseases; however, recently patients visiting hospitals for the early prevention of disease is rapidly increasing. Accordingly, contemporary hospitals should meet the wish of patients who want to get medical service in more clean and comfortable environment. The existing studies on hospital interior design were mostly limited on analyzing the functionality of each space; however, studies on the interior design of common use space, which is open to all hospital users, are required now. Accordingly, this study classified the common use space in contemporary general hospitals into lobby space, corridor space, waiting space and resting space. The interior design characteristics of each space were classified into; connectivity with external environment, level change by void, introduction of natural elements, dynamics of space and variety of color. Then a case analysis was done by selecting 12 common use spaces in overseas general hospitals. According to the analysis result, the interior design characteristics were more conspicuous in the sequence of corridor space, lobby space, resting space and waiting space. The interior design elements such as overall space arrangement and material-finishing were relatively acceptable; however, the aspect of a user's environmental behavior, in other words, the psychological aspect, which can lead a patient to natural healing, was relatively insufficient. It is believed that an in-depth interior design focusing on practical users would enable various spatial behaviors. It is hoped that this study would be a help to the interior design of domestic general hospitals as a guideline.
