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Renewing the hospital precinct at UBC : a restorative approach

University of British Columbia

Humans are intimately connected to the natural environment, the place where we evolved and that provides us with the fodder for our very existence (Kellert & Wilson, 1993). Research confirms what we intuit - that people are restored through contact with natural landscapes (Ulrich & Parsons, 1992). Restorative experiences leave one feeling renewed; it has been shown that access to restorative landscapes reduces stress levels, accelerates healing, and eases mental fatigue. Kaplan and Kaplan have described the landscape elements that create restorative experiences, providing guidance to designers who wish to confer restorative experiences to site users, improving their well-being (Kaplan & Kaplan, 1998). Hospital precincts are uniquely focused on the promotion of well-being, where many of the users are experiencing illness and negative stress and therefore would greatly benefit from implementing restorative landscapes. In particular the UBC hospital precinct could be improved to take advantage of the restorative aspects of nature, creating a better environment for all site users; students, hospital staff, residents and visitors.

Text

2010-01-09

For non-commercial purposes only, such as research, private study and education. Additional conditions apply, see Terms of Use https://open.library.ubc.ca/terms_of_use.

http://hdl.handle.net/2429/17942

Landscape Architecture

University of British Columbia

UBCV

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