Therapeutic Landscape Design for Healthcare
When landscapes take on personal meaning, complex physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual bonds form between people and nature. Research has shown that better health outcomes have been associated with stress reduction. In healthcare settings, supportive outdoor environments that promote access to nature, social interaction, a sense of control and gentle exercise can ameliorate stress and help facilitate the healing process.
SPROUT believes that a restorative environment is crafted by a careful arrangement of a variety of sensory, psychological and natural stimuli in an effort to:
Bring the visitor to the moment by connecting to something outside the body ( a sensory experience or connection with nature)
Bring the visitor to an awareness of an environment bigger than “the problem” to regain a sense of perspective and control (psychological stimuli)
Healing landscapes respond to the medical protocol of different patient groups and are an extension of the healthcare provider’s program of care. When asked about the characteristics in their new organizational culture, the 40 executives involved in the Cultural Transformations in Healthcare, a study funded by the Robert Woods Johnson Foundation in 2005, patient centered environments of healing were identified as a number one priority.
The AIA’s guidelines for Healthcare Facility Design identify a patient centered environment of healing as one that “promotes a culture of professionalism, and means that patient relationships are primary, the patient is the center of decision making; and staff is always doing the right thing for the patient, no matter what.”
SPROUT strives to incorporate features that are the right choice considering each unique patient population through evidence based design. Garden designs incorporate features shown to be beneficial through past research and are tested in post occupancy evaluations. SPROUT collaborates with caregivers, patients, families and integrated design teams to design supportive, safe, and accessible outdoor spaces.