COMPATIBLE SPACES FOR EMOTIONAL SUPPORT OF CHILD AND ADOLESCENT PATIENTS
Design of in-between and outdoor spaces in healthcare settings
1. General conclusions
2. Emotion groups and space types
Developed for industrial design, emotional design has given some tools to extend its knowledge to the field of landscape architecture. The study has also looked at the Self- perception theory, along with the Jamesian concept of emotions to find a theoretical bridge between emotions and landscape design. Emotional design provides with tools to work with emotions on visceral, behavioural and reflective level. The search has further resulted in the discovery that emotions can be changed if the behaviour is changed and/or if the reflections are redirected. Pleasant emotions can be induced through sensory stimulation such as visual impressions, appearance, touch, feel, smell, and sound. Working intentionally towards positive emotional state the design can contribute to the healing process of child and adolescent patients.
The study has produced a guideline with five compatible spaces to respond to different emotional states while child and adolescent patients are at healthcare settings. Some of these spaces can share similar qualities and, thus, create in-between spaces to allow user’s own interpretation.
Joyful spaces These kinds of spaces are intended to induce/allow happy experiences such as fun, enjoyment, entertainment, excitement, wonder (fascination), desire, wish, safety, delight and inclination. Nevertheless design of such spaces aims to counteract boredom and to prevent fall in self-esteem. Design efforts focus on sensory and memory-provoking experiences. The atmosphere is homelike, vacation-related, storytelling or reminding of places with happy memories and encouraging social intreraction. Water, vegetation and wild animals are particularly beneficial.
Spaces for self-esteem Spaces for self-esteem target feelings like pride and confidence, connectedness, self-expression, independence and freedom. The physical qualities provide elements for straightening the posture and upraise the body position. The settings of the safe challenges type aim to encourage confidence and settings for social interaction - to get feedback about positive performance. Paying attention to the concept of self-identity is important especially for adolescent patients. Further, a room for creative activities should be provided and the landscape design is working with feeling illusions to help the users to compare themselves favourably. The spaces can have both intimate and expressive characters. The emotional design is focusing on reflections and avoiding of negative self-monitoring processes.
Cosy spaces Cosy spaces have qualities which match or satisfy a number of feelings such as relaxation, comfort, empathy, connectedness, familiarity, and privacy. The space qualities related to these spaces are home-like or away-in-nature-like reminder-sensations of children and adolescents’ favourite places as a way to diminish feelings of nostalgia and homesickness. The spaces should be intimate and inviting, familiar and with characters which small children recognise. Qualities for those intimate spaces are such as: pleasant smell; good climate; bright light in combination with filtered; settings for passive interactions with water; translucent but not transparent, soundproof, private, peaceful, familiar with opportunities for leisure and refuge. Such opportunities give elements like treehouses, dens, hammocks, gazebos with soft textiles. Sounds of rippling water, sea, forest or relaxing music is adding to the atmosphere. Cancer treated patients could also benefit from such rooms but if protected from direct sunlight.
Palliative spaces Palliative spaces are meant to offer the users possibilities to deal with high intensive negative emotions like rage, anger and fear and also the less-intensive boredom. Emotional design is operating mainly on a visceral and behavioural level by providing settings for physical activities and assigning intentions (blame) to inanimate objects (e.g. punchbags). Noise and other kinds of disturbances are not recommended. Furthermore, for processing other kinds of negative emotions like sadness the spaces should feel private, safe and comfortable. Group therapies are accommodated in weather protected gathering settings with possibilities for dimmed lighting, listening to calming music, eating and drinking. In landscape design, evening hours should be considered for adolescent users.
Spaces for motivation
3. In-between spaces In-between spaces such as transition zones between indoors and outdoors has an important motivation role. Other kinds of in-between spaces invite the user to interpret the space’s function and territoriality and encourage social interaction. Further they can provide the possibility to change the space according to own wishes and desires.
4. Design in context
5. Emotional mapping Joyful spaces
tim in
e at
Spaces for motivation
Spaces for self-esteem privat e
active
16. Trellis 17. Translucent roof 18. Storage house for toys 19. Hammock 20. Outdoor gym elements for stretching and punching 21. Treehouse 22. Sand garden
up -
g in
Cosy spaces
Palliative spaces
In my test case, the space was limited and that is why I chose to overlap the five spaces types. The mapping can, otherwise, be made by spreading the five space types away from each other and create in-between spaces as external to the main spaces. The location of those space types can depend on the context of the site, for instance, where is the entrance or where do we need privacy.
GALINA (LALOVA) EKSTRÖM 9. Climbing vegetation 10. Sand table 11. Storage shelves 12. Butterfly garden with Thumbelina 13. Table and storage of pillows and blankets 14. Raised plant beds with sensory plants 15. Bench
a c ti
ve
In-between spaces
44
Legend: 1. Elevators 2. Waiting room other departments 3. Fish tank 4. Place for patients in beds 5. Water feature 6. Flexible doors 7. Desks/tables for art creation 8. Raised planting bed
6
ax
A water feature is present at all of the spaces but the different intensity of the rippling creates a certain kind of mood to respont to the space type. At the opposite side of the garden’s entrance there are spaces which provide privacy, exploration and palliative activities. The treehouse is slightly lifted from the ground and reachable by a ramp. Beside the treehouse, there are structures for physical activities and further in this space there is a hammock to rest and some intimate settings with presence of vegetation. All of the plants are with sensory qualities and also the climbing ones help to define a three dimensional space (roofs and walls). The fun feature for the children is the sandy garden in which creative processes take place too. It includes dwarf conifers found at beaches around the area. The sand pit has also a sand table shaped as a beach café. Next to the eastern facade, there is a place for art activities.
Emotional map
l re
The guideline has been tested in the context of the Hospital of Ystad, Sweden with the help of an emotional map (see figure further right). At the site as small as 18 by 8 m the five space types create a garden with possibilities to match wide range of emotional states. The transition between indoors and outdoors is designed at three levels each one to open up a bit more towards the outdoor sensations. Flexible glass doors make the access to the next level fluxous, depending on the weather and the patient’s needs.
gro
with compatible and in-between spaces
Design proposal using emotional mapping
Spaces for intrinsic motivation has been seen in this study as a way to diminish depressive conditions. Opportunities for physical and creative activities and fresh air are beneficial for children and adolescents with depressive and regressive predispositions. Creative activities on the other hand help the young patients to experience a state of flow and absorption through which they focus on achievements and something external as the object they create. Regarding design, there should be a room for personal choice in order to best match the needs of the users. Opportunities for learning can also be seen as a motivational factor to be outdoors. Withdrawal and unwillingness to communicate with others could be handled by introducing animals and anthropomorphic inanimate objects. Lack of vigour and energy can be overcome by creating a good climate in terms of weather and optimal amount of sunlight.
Restorative architecture and landscape galina.lalova@hotmail.com +46 760 485 788