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O u t 40 Medical Construction & Design | M A RCH /A PR IL 2017 | MCDM AG.COM When designed successful- ly, gardens in a healthcare setting become beloved and cherished spaces that provide much needed respite from the realities of illness. The healing power of the connection to nature, as commonly referenced in the Roger S. Ulrich, Ph.D., study 1 , not only helps relieve stress and anxiety, but also reduces pain and promotes patient recovery. It also allows caregivers and healthcare providers to take breaks from high- stress situations, which leads to higher quality care and better staff retention rates. A landscape is special because of its inherent nature to change. It creates variety and wonderment with blooming fl owers and changing colors that attract local birds and insects. It provides the opportunity to stop and notice the sounds of leaves falling and water trickling as the seasons and time of day shift. This experience is a rare treat in the highly controlled, highly regulated life in a healthcare facility. Gardens should be considered as more than just space for meditation. They also serve as impromptu consultation or congregation spaces and venues for activities. The design should anticipate, consider and encourage these behaviors while selecting the types of seating, paving or level changes that allow clear sightlines, form areas for privacy and respite, create white noise with water features and the like, and provide shade and accessibility. Optimal landscape design in a healthcare setting should be integrated with the interiors, as well as the local vernacular and geography, provide for a variety of user needs and serve as an integral part of the building and campus resiliency. Out Inside Photo: James & Connor Steinkamp Integrating landscape design, furniture considerations for positive patient experiences BY AIKO TANABE & BROOKE HORAN