Normalcy in healthcare design: An extension of the natural and built environment

摘要

The healthcare industry is increasingly adopting integrated care systems in which building design plays a significant role in patient experiences, treatment and wellbeing. People-centred building design builds on several decades of research that demonstrate how certain environments stimulate behavioural, as well as physiological and neurological changes in people conducive to healing and general wellbeing. Importantly, these design considerations for health and wellbeing are typically well aligned with concurrent efforts to increase the sustainability of healthcare facilities. ududThis paper explores the design of healing gardens in hospitals and how these environments can moderate stress and anxiety for patients and families during potentially traumatic periods. Whilst interest in, and the inclusion of, gardens in hospitals is increasing, there still remain few examples of rigorously researched and evaluated healing gardens that demonstrably contribute to patient experiences and well-being. In particular, there is a need for insight into landscape design that extends the aesthetics and functionality of contemporary hospital design, and attends to the contextualized experience of patients, families and staff. Within this emergent field, there is a need to bring together research and industry to develop evidence-based, integrated design solutions. ududThe recently opened award winning Lady Cilento Children’s Hospital (LCCH) in Brisbane, Australia incorporates 11 healing gardens, the design of which drew extensively on emergent evidence-based research findings about the therapeutic and sustainability properties of integrated gardens. The LCCH building itself was also designed to maximise natural light, and to enable intuitive way-finding to the gardens and throughout the hospital, as complementary means of creating normalcy for patients and reducing stress and confusion. Preliminary evaluation of the LCCH healing gardens provides evidence of how these spaces create a critical sense of ‘being away’ from the hospital, and reduce stress and anxiety. Monitoring and evaluation of the environmental performance of the gardens additionally provides data on water capture and reuse for irrigation, and temperature regulation through micro- climatic conditions. Whilst further investigations will yield additional, valuable insights, these preliminary investigations provide much needed evidence of design considerations for healing gardens that contribute to both their ability to improve patient experiences and wellbeing, as well as the sustainability of these spaces. The findings of this paper have implications for practice and partnering with academia to inform healing gardens design within the healthcare industry.