Definitions

Definitions of healing space: Connection with nature. Stress free, calming and stimulating spaces, feeling of safety & trust (what does the environment say about trust?); good chi, art and natural lighting are tools. People are instinctively attracted to environments that promote human survival. . Five elements of nature (esp. water), Yin/yang balance and energy flow connect us to the whole cycle of life.

The human connection: use of glass, transparency to feel connection. Central gathering spaces such as courtyards used in Islamic and other cultures to promote a shared experience.
Everyone needs to feel cared for – patients, staff, and visitors. What is the experience of each? A good hospital can be a community destination as a great space and as a center for health education. More emphasis on “wellness” in healthcare environments.

The sequential experience of proceeding through space, from arrival (parking car), wayfinding, entering building, finding destination, leaving (finding car) are all relevant to healing environment experience. Lowell General Hospital has vertical black granite element with water at entrance that has healing effect. Honoring the whole of human experience. Places of grief (like hospitals, nursing homes and funeral homes) need healing environments.

Designing space with mathematical relationships that exist in nature such as the golden mean and sacred geometry. Exploring the new science of fractals and how to apply to design.