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REPORT

DIAGNOSIS DESIGN

Specialty furnishings brand Futrus wants design
and healthcare to speak the same language.

n the world of healthcare, innovation typically hinges on the development
of breakthrough drugs and pioneering treatments. More and more,
Ihowever, hospitals are looking into a new field of research: how to
improve the patient experience. Architects, designers and clinicians now see
the important impact good design has on healing, with studies indicating
a well-designed patient room leads to an increase in a patient’s well-being,
lower infection rates and shorter stays.

One business ready to take the call to create people-centric solutions in the
healthcare space is Futrus, a commercial furnishings business that has blazed a
trail with its thoughtful designs. “Traditional healthcare designs tend to look
very institutional, are unhygienic and have relatively short lifecycles. Our aim
is to create environments that look welcome and provide the highest levels
of hygiene and durability,” says James Leigh, Chief Marketing Officer and
Cofounder of Futrus.

Central to the brand’s work is its adoption of Corian® Solid Surface, a material
that has proven its worth in hospitals and clinics both as a countertop solution
and wall covering in places ranging from the surgical suite to the nursing
station. “No other surface gives you the same structural integrity. It is seamless
and modular, so you can shape it just the way you want it and get away from
the institutional designs that are quite sterile.”

Relying on nearly four decades of experience as a leading fabricator of Corian®
Solid Surface, the Futrus team specializes in offering furnishings and casework
with unrivalled durability, design flexibility and hygienic properties to
hospitals and commercial clients. Leigh, together with Futrus Head Designer
and Cofounder Mark Allen, have developed an extensive product line that
counts headwalls and sink modules for patient rooms as well as tables and
benches for cafeterias and reception areas. The company uses a patented
structural framing system and makes off-the-shelf products along with larger
customizable projects. Extra touches include dye-sublimation to embed images
onto Corian® Solid Surface and the wireless Corian® Charging Surface solution
that adds functionality to a patient’s bedside table.

OPPOSITE: Futrus Modular Wall Panel System at Penn Dental Medicine’s Schattner Clinic,
Philadelphia; photo courtesy of Halkin/Mason Photography.

72 Corian® Design / ISSUE TWO