This thesis explores therapeutic garden design and its role in landscape architecture. It also conducts a post occupancy evaluation (POE) for an existing therapeutic landscape.
The St. Michael Health Care Center campus, Texarkana, Texas, is a Sisters of Charity institution and was designed and built in 1994 as a healing environment for patients, staff, and visitors. In this thesis, A POE was conducted to determine (1) user-perceptions and utilization of the campus, (2) whether the campus reduces stress and fosters restoration, and (3) any barriers or constraints to use of the campus.
Results from visual analysis, behavioral observations, and survey questionnaires indicated a number of benefits of the campus. The campus was perceived as a place of stress reduction and restoration. However, there was a lack of knowledge of the history behind the design and the healing benefits of the campus, and some areas were not utilized as often or as effectively as intended. Interviewees recommended changes for the campus, such as the inclusion of more flowers and greenery, and more raised beds for outdoor therapy. In addition, certain areas required more maintenance.
Based on the findings, recommendations for improvement were made. These findings can subsequently be used to inform guidelines for the design of future Sisters of Charity institutions, as well as other exterior hospital environments. By adding to a body of research, this evaluation provides a service to all of those involved in the design of healthcare facilities such as owners, users, medical planners, architects, interior designers, artists, and landscape architects.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:LSU/oai:etd.lsu.edu:etd-11092004-194025 |
| Date | 11 November 2004 |
| Creators | LaFargue, Leigh |
| Contributors | Suzanne Turner, Elizabeth Mossop, Kevin Risk |
| Publisher | LSU |
| Source Sets | Louisiana State University |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | text |
| Format | application/pdf |
| Source | http://etd.lsu.edu/docs/available/etd-11092004-194025/ |
| Rights | unrestricted, I hereby certify that, if appropriate, I have obtained and attached herein a written permission statement from the owner(s) of each third party copyrighted matter to be included in my thesis, dissertation, or project report, allowing distribution as specified below. I certify that the version I submitted is the same as that approved by my advisory committee. I hereby grant to LSU or its agents the non-exclusive license to archive and make accessible, under the conditions specified below and in appropriate University policies, my thesis, dissertation, or project report in whole or in part in all forms of media, now or hereafter known. I retain all other ownership rights to the copyright of the thesis, dissertation or project report. I also retain the right to use in future works (such as articles or books) all or part of this thesis, dissertation, or project report. |
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