A Comparative Analysis of the Spatial Design Perspective of Wayfinding: The Emergency Room as a Case Study

Medical buildings, particularly emergency rooms, can be challenging to navigate, leading to stress and time loss for users if spatial layouts are poorly organized. This study focused on the concept of wayfinding, particularly on oral and visual communication, which has been identified as a human factor influencing the wayfinding process. This study aimed to examine the spatial design phase of emergency rooms in terms of wayfinding. The study approach used quantitative and qualitative methods. A literature review and observations during field visits were carried out. During the field visits, the researchers considered the numbers of human factors in the emergency rooms. Space syntax software was used to analyze the architectural plans from the perspectives of (1) visibility and (2) connectivity, examining the location of human factors in the architectural layouts. A comparative study of three cases in the United Arab Emirates was performed. The following human factors were identified: receptions and two categories of nurse stations, namely, first-look nurse stations (FLNSs) and observation nurse stations (ONSs). The results demonstrate the need for a developmental phase regarding the spatial arrangements of human components, guided by a space syntax analysis, to enhance the wayfinding process in the three emergency room cases. This study provides various recommendations for the repositioning of the human factors in the three case studies: for case study “A”, one of the three human elements should be modified; for case study “B”, only one of the two human elements should be altered; and, for case study “C”, all three human components should be moved to an advantageous position based on the spatial data. The conclusion illustrates the feasibility of adopting a spatial analysis approach for emergency rooms in the early design stages.