The Garden Hospital: Reinventing the Healthcare Landscape using Principles of Gardens and Sustainability to Create a Visual Guidebook for Human Design
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Date
2024
Authors
Jeffs, Caitlin
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
University of Oregon
Abstract
Healthcare landscapes, such as hospitals, medical
complexes, and clinics, are not known for being
pleasant spaces for the human user to engage with.
Often, these spaces are associated with sickness,
loss, and death, and are sources of significant stress
for their users. The western concept of medical
spaces is in need of a redesign, with the increased
incorporation of nature and community showing
great promise in reducing stress and improving
health outcomes. This project seeks to explore
this concept further through design, investigating
the role of Landscape Architecture in developing
the Garden Hospital: medical landscapes that are
designed for multi-functionality, biophilia, and
community. The site for this design project is the
Kaiser Permanente Medical Office Building in
Santa Cruz, Ca. The full hospital landscape will be
transformed, including facades, rooftops, interior
and outdoor spaces to explore the Garden Hospital
typology and demonstrate theoretical ways in
which it could be accomplished. In doing so, the
Kaiser Permanente site will go beyond a medical
space, becoming a central point in the lives of the
local community. This shift in healthcare, backed by
research into human health and wellbeing, could not
only improve our experiences within and relationship
to medical landscapes, but help to improve the
health outcomes of the community.
Description
54 pages
Keywords
healthcare landscapes, landscape architecture, gardens, sustainability, garden hospital