NEW YORK CITY – The future of health-
care is prevention – that’s the idea behind
Lab100, a prototype clinic designed by
Brooklyn-based Cactus for the Mount Sinai
School of Medicine. Best known for its dig-
ital and experiential projects for the likes of
Samsung, Beyoncé and Nike, Cactus set out
to rethink the way healthcare is delivered.
At Lab100, (healthy) patients are tested and
given feedback on their physical conditions,
alerting them to potential problems and
providing a personalized wellness plan.
While artificial intelligence makes
it all possible, Lucas Werthein and Noah
Waxman of Cactus are quick to point out
that the goal of the design was to ‘humanize’
the 150-m^2 space. ‘Otherwise,’ says Waxman,
‘our experiences of both technology and
healthcare can be horrible.’ The solution
was to ‘kill data entry’, instead breaking up
the patient’s visit into a number of ‘stations’
where tests take place. Visually presented
information becomes a trigger for human
interaction: ‘Effectively, patients spend
an hour with the doctor,’ says Werthein,
emphasizing that they aimed to ‘make eve-
rything fun and transparent’.
The team ‘embedded’ the project’s
many screens into the space by aligning
them with windows and blending them into
the walls, producing an ambient digital glow
that’s combined with abundant daylight.
Geometric forms unify the various elements
of the design, with futuristic white surfaces
warmed and enlivened by wood. ‘It’s not
about using technology for technology’s
sake,’ says Waxman. ‘Developing the physical
design along with the technology from day
one created a seamless result.’ – JS
cactus.is
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