Nature through a Hospital Window: The Therapeutic Benefits of Landscape in Architectural Design

Shan Jiang is an Associate Professor of Landscape Architecture at the School of Design and Community Development, West Virginia University. She is also serving leadership roles in healthcare and therapeutic design for professional organizations, including the Council of Educators in Landscape Architecture (CELA) and the American Society of Landscape Architects (ASLA). Dr. Jiang was an AIA AAH Tuttle Fellow, Landscape Architecture Foundation Case Study Investigation (LAF-CSI) Fellow, and the Academy of Architecture for Health Foundation (AAHF) Research Fellow. Her primary research interests include the people-nature relationship, landscape design and human health, the application of biophilic principles to create supportive healthcare environments, and evidence-based design.

CONTENTS List of figures List of tables Acknowledgements CHAPTER 1. INTRODUCTION1 Scope and Key Concepts 1 Organization 1 References 1 CHAPTER 2. THE HISTORY AND THEORY OF NATURE'S THERAPEUTIC EFFECTS 1 The Traditional Belief that Nature Heals1 Air, Water, and Places1 Trees, Flowers, and Herbs1 Salubrious Urban Landscape in the 19th Century 1 Nature's Healing Mechanism: Contemporary Studies and Schools of Thoughts1 Therapeutic Landscapes through the Lens of Medical Geography 1 Evolutionary Perspectives1 Biophilia and Biophilic Design1 Attention-Restoration Theory 1 Stress Reduction and the Aesthetic-Affective Model 1 Toward an Integrative Framework 1 References 1 CHAPTER 3. RECONNECT PEOPLE AND NATURE THROUGH WINDOWS IN HEALTHCARE ENVIRONMENTS 1 Effects of Windows and No Windows1 Windowed versus Windowless Environments1 Window Attributes1 Size and shape of windows1 Distances to the window1 Content and Quality of Window Views1 Views of nature versus built environments1 Complexity of window views1 Windows and Natural Daylight1 Visual and Thermal Comfort1 Windows, Views, and Daylight in Healthcare Environments1 Windows in Healthcare Environments1 Window effects for patients1 Window effects for staff 1 Natural Daylight in Healthcare Environments1 Natural daylight for patients1 Natural daylight for staff1 References 1 CHAPTER 4. HOSPITAL GREENSPACES AND SOME USAGE ISSUES 1 People-Nature Relationship in Hospitals in History1 A General Negligence 1 From Courtyard Hospitals to Pavilion Plans1 Lessons Learned from Tuberculosis Sanatoriums1 Tuberculosis Sanatorium Movement 1 Paimio Sanatorium1 The site1 The windows1 The indoor-outdoor transition1 Greenspaces in Contemporary Hospitals 1 The Revival of Hospital Greenspaces1 Current Usage Issues of Hospital Greenspaces through Post Occupancy Evaluations1 Post Occupancy Evaluation (POE)1 Study Sites1 Findings from the Site Evaluation and Audit 1 Focus Group Results 1 Visual and experiential quality1 Wellness programs and supportive features1 Landscape maintenance and operation1 Garden Locations Matter1 References 1 CHAPTER 5. TRANSPARENCY AND TRANSPARENT SPACES IN HOSPITAL DESIGN: FROM THEORIES TO PRACTICES1 Phenomenal Transparency and Spatial Continuity as an Urban Approach 1 Transparency: From Rowe and Slutzky (1963) to Hoesli (1997)1 Phenomenal Transparency and Spatial Continuity 1 A Continuum of Indoor-Outdoor Spaces 1 Phenomenal Transparency: An Urban Design Approach 1 Lessons Learned from the Venice Hospital1 A Preliminary Pattern Language of Transparent Spaces in Hospitals1 Pattern 1: Hierarchy of Landscape Realms1 Pattern 2: Courtyards that Breathe1 Pattern 3: Courtyards that Breathe1 Pattern 4: Positive Outdoor Spaces1 Pattern 5: Micro-Landscapes Along Narrow Wings 1 Pattern 6: Cascading Roof Terraces 1 Pattern 7: Transparent Arteries 1 Pattern 8: Landscaped Arrival Zones 1 Pattern 9: Dematerialized Edges 1 Pattern 10: Atrium Gardens and Lightwells 1 Pattern 11: Sequestered Gardens 1 Pattern 12: Therapeutic Viewing Places1 References 1 CHAPTER 6. THE EFFECTS OF WINDOWS AND TRANSPARENCY ON PEOPLE'S WAITING EXPERIENCE IN HOSPITAL ENVIRONMENTS 1 Research Questions and Hypotheses1 Research Design1 Study 1: Image Selection1 Study 2: The Survey-Embedded Quasi-Experiment1 Data Analysis and Results1 Stress-Inducing Effect of Watching A Movie Stressor1 Comparison of Psychophysiology Readings1 Comparison of Mood Scores1 Visual Preference Analysis 1 Comparison of means1 Level of transparency and visual preference 1 Seat arrangement and visual preference 1 Correlations among Psychophysiology Readings, Mood States, and Visual Preference1 Factor Analysis1 Six factors1 Between-group comparison of