By: Roel Ventura Sating Senses The Creating a more memorable and satisfying environment with scenting. versus the unaltered original hospital smell. There are many reasons to consider the incor-poration of scenting into any environment, but here are my top four reasons to take the sensory hurdle: 1. Eliminating stale, stagnant air We have all visited a space with stagnant and stale air. R Based in Seattle, Roel Ventura is an award-winning ambient designer for Ambius. Born and raised in Hawaii, Ventura brings a collaborative “Paradise of the Pacific” vitality and vision to his design work. He was honored with the Plantscape Industry Alliance (PIA) Award of Excellence in Holiday Design for his festive and modern holiday display at both Tishman Speyer’s 400 South Hope Street in Los Angeles and at the Intercontinental Los Angeles at Beverly Hills Hotel. Recently, Ventura has partnered with Schnitzer West LLC at the Bellevue Shops at the Bravern and Kemper Development Company with their Bellevue Collection retail properties to provide their scenting experience programs. For more information, visit www.Ambius.com/Roel. for more info Visit www.cmmonline.com and type in search keyword: Odor Control . For more information on related products, visit www.cmmonline.com , select SUPPLIER SEARCH from the main navigation bar, and enter keyword: Air Freshener . Recently, I visited a beautiful Asian-influenced boutique hotel that was artfully appointed with modern furnishings and tasteful decor. While my eye was pleased by the look and feel of the hotel, my nose was dismayed by the stale Victorian-era aroma that enveloped my olfactory senses. As an ambient designer who works with hote-liers, health care providers and retail and casino managers, I strive to ensure that sensory satisfac-tion is achieved with all of the senses. Fortunately, more and more innovative com-panies realize that creating a more memorable and satisfying environment demands the use of scenting. An article in the Journal of the Human-Environment System reported that, “The impact of indoor air quality (IAQ) on the well-being and comfort of a building’s occupants is a key to creating an indoor environment which increases human performance. Research clearly shows that the addition of olfactory substances to the indoor air can significantly increase the satisfaction rate of building occupants.” After Belgium’s Middelheim Hospital spent con-siderable time and money refurbishing their facili-ties, they found that the hospital retained a typical “hospital smell.” The hospital conducted a pilot study to deter-mine the psychological effects of scent in a hospi-tal and the use of smell as a way of improving the hospital experience. The survey results suggested greater well-being, emotional comfort and satisfaction were achieved by participants who spent time in the scented hospital lobby and main seated areas High-end air freshening products go beyond masking pungent odors and help create serene environments for building occupants. 20 CM/Cleaning & Maintenance Management ® • March 2012 Image courtesy of Ambius
CMM – Archives Mar 2012: 20
