Medical Construction & Design

MAR-APR 2017

Medical Construction & Design (MCD) is the industry's leading source for news and information and reaches all disciplines involved in the healthcare construction and design process.

Issue link: https://mcdmag.epubxp.com/i/795594

Contents of this Issue

Navigation

Page 46 of 70

42 Medical Construction & Design | M A RCH /A PR IL 2017 | MCDM AG.COM Variety = control Outdoor places of respite should provide users with a sense of control over their environment. As with interior waiting and lounge spaces, gardens can provide diverse settings to accommodate all user needs — places to engage with nature, family or other patients, and spaces to foster social support, as well as private family conversations. Seating areas should provide a balance of ap- propriate furniture with correct seat heights and armrests so patients can get in and out with ease. Seating groupings should allow fl exibility for users to rearrange seating for control over their environ- ment to seek shelter or sunlight, fi nd a place for pri- vacy or to form a larger social group. Consideration should also be given to spaces to provide a sense of shelter and a place for refl ection and solitude. Thoughtful landscape designs incorporate mo- ments of pause into the landscape, using elevational changes and berms, or by carving the land mass and using planted areas as screening elements. Landscaping and gardens should be located to be visually accessible from interior public spaces and lounges in order to encourage use and to allow visual access. Designing ways and means for users to physically engage with the garden is important. Consider providing raised, wheelchair accessible planters at varied heights so patients can interact with plants and water features, as well as elements built for a child's scale at their eye level. Garden circulation should be designed with low- glare surfaces and wide, easily navigable pathways with smooth paving to accommodate wheelchairs. Inviting pathways also encourage exercise for staff , patients and their families to reduce anxiety and depression. The garden landscape can become an integral part of patient therapy for long-term stay and rehabilitation. Design considerations could in- corporate therapy exercises into the landscape such as training in curb cuts, ramps and gentle inclines. To support the spectrum of user needs, the design and planning of gardens should promote variety, choice, empowerment and fl exibility. Resiliency As extreme weather events become increasingly frequent due to climate change, it is important to consider how landscapes can be part of an integrat- ed campus resiliency program. Intelligent design begins with awareness of the potential risks and partnering with strategies to reduce them. At the onset of a project, it is important to consider the fol- lowing questions: What are the climate projections in the project area? What are the vulnerabilities stemming from those projections? How does the design address these? For example, at the Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital in Charlestown, Massachusetts, the landscape design merged elements from the site and surrounding location. Large granite blocks and oak beams uncovered during site excavation were incorporated into the landscape, forming berms to protect the building from storm surge fl ooding from the adjacent Boston Harbor. The landscape design also included extensive drainage that allows any surge waters to dissipate quickly from the site in the event of a fl ood. A well- designed landscape enhances the overall patient care experience; however, it is important to also consider how landscape can play a role in the safety of a facility and its inhabitants. Landscape design in a healthcare setting serves more purpose than just beautiful scenery. It provides patients, their families and healthcare employees with the much-needed respite from a highly controlled, highly regulated healthcare facil- ity. While it is universally known that direct con- nection with nature has many positive outcomes, it's important that designers have an integrated and interdisciplinary approach when planning. Aiko Tanabe, NCIDQ, is a project designer at Perkins+Will's New York offi ce. Brooke Horan, IIDA, EDAC, LEED AP, is a senior inte- rior designer/senior associate at Perkins+Will's New York offi ce. 1 Ulrich, R. (1984). "View Through a Window May Infl uence Recovery from Surgery." Science, 224, p. 420-421. From Top > This project features a signifi cant park space with primarily native vegetation and a large pervious area that serves as a "sponge" to infi ltrate water. > Completed in early 2017, this outpatient treatment facility was designed so that light and nature could be accessed from all patient positions. Images: Perkins+Will

Articles in this issue

Links on this page

Archives of this issue

view archives of Medical Construction & Design - MAR-APR 2017