architecture capstone benjamin fuentes
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CAPSTONE
Healing Garden re-thinking patient’s space When observing our natural surroundings, we have images of landscapes, rivers and gardens that bring us peace and calmness. That same feeling we get in a Hotel, we usually seek to relax and improve our wellbeing by escaping to a temporal place and forgetting our daily stressful environment. Both Hospitals and Hotels settings have the similar goals. These are to bring great quality of life, emotionally and physically to those whom participate of their facilities and services. Traditionally the architectural model of hospitals in Puerto Rico it’s a copy of Corporate Architecture. These were solid building structures, seen as an object in a surrounding landscape. This prototype of the 1960s in Puerto Rico sought to address mostly urgent health needs at that moment, resulting in ignoring the outer space surrounding and containing its area of services in a sterile and mostly closed manner. In our Hospital facilities, patients with different diagnosis and medical conditions are treated with the purpose of improving and heal their needs. Cancer care facilities focus on diagnosing using different modalities of treatment, but the most common is the outpatient Chemotherapy. They are serviced in an average of one to eight hours during their visit.
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Mostly served in a cold, anonymous and generic space. That brought the attention on how to design a space for cancer treatment and change this paradigm of therapy; usually seen in Puerto Rico. How could design benefit the user and make a Center different, contributing to the healing process and diminishing the suffering, physically and emotionally, of those diagnosed with Cancer? How to integrate in their treatment, outer space environment including nature, senses and wellbeing of their closest relatives? To address these different needs and modalities we have to emotionally get involved as one of its participants would do. We have to integrate ourselves with them, so we can understand their needs. A Healing Environment comes to attend these needs as a new modality in the healing process of patients diagnosed with Cancer. I define this unique environment as a place that combines in itself, different modalities of therapeutic elements of healing, such as: physical, emotional and spiritual wellbeing. In the company of the patients close relatives that visit the therapeutic facility. For this I integrated a healing garden, the traditional medical therapies facilities with a unique space of gardens and aromatherapy to make a different facility. It is time to transform our present Hospital care areas, integrate therapeutic care for our modern Cancer patient. This is the Twenty first century and it’s time to rethink the patient’s space.
The Healing Garden is the place where the patient can make connections with himself and others, dig deep in nature and come closer with a higher deity. Is the spot that benefits the spiritual, physical and emotional state of the human being and where distraction is absolute. At last is a place where they can feel useful, warm there bodies and feel alive.
The idea of a Claustrum came into a concept when the security of the patient was a priority. As the cloister in history meant, this open garden organizes the programs and serves as a central piece creating a connection with nature itself. The programs around the garden attend all stages of the chemotherapy; from the diagnostic, which is separated of the treatment areas also there’s two types of treatment space and a recovery area. The hospital prototype in Puerto Rico organize their spaces in a ortogonal and enclosed way. Therefore the purpose of the organic pieces are to break and change what used to be the “common way of treating cancer patients� by introducing these forms that maximize natural light exposure, interiorize the exterior changing height and materials. The organic versus ortogonal friction aims for a change on how the user experiences the space.
offices group treatment
coffee individual treatment recovery
ortogonal rigid organized
organic flexible organized
The project is located in the Municipality of Aibonito, in Puerto Rico. At present, Aibonito is currently one of the towns with higher incidence of patients, diagnosed with Cancer. The Treatment Center will serve populations of the town itself, and surrounding municipalities such as Cayey, Cidra, Barranquitas, Comerio, Orocovis and Coamo. Currently these municipalities are in demand for such services and supplies for it’s population with the medical conditions. The lot selected for the Center, is adjacent to the Mennonite General Hospital in Aibonito. It’s localization gives a sense of orientation to the users. Traditionally the area is associated with healing and quality, nonprofit medical services which characterizes the Mennonite doctrine of serving others with Christian love. Other considerations taken was the location. Historically this area contains two buildings built in 1887 by the Spanish Government. These were used as quarantine quarters to acclimate new recruits arriving in Puerto Rico; due to the altitude and climate of the area. These conditions were similar to those in their homeland Spain. As part of the design these buildings will be in the phase two plan as a way of return the use they were built for.
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site plan connection with the hospital
historic buildings
existing vegetation
entrance
floor plan_offices 10
concept_sketch
axonometric_facility
ground plan_treatment 12
wallsection_individual treatment
longitudinal section_private treatment
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longitudinal section_group treatment
transversal section_garden
healing garden 16
hearing water accompanies the trail gravel in the kitchen garden
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senses garden
smell flowers harvest in the kitchen garden
touch all trees and flowers
sight birds or insects in the plants the garden itself
taste harvest that goes to the cafe’s kitchen
garden_taxonomy 18
water pump room
roble tree terrain elevating .5m per line helecho macho
retama san josé
pavement trail connection
ficus
dianela
ficus benjamina kitchen garden
romero terrain elevation 1.52m [5’] for privacy
gravel trail
grass concrete paving
alternanthera
flamboyán albahaca
tomate
orégano
concept_sketch
astromelias
elevation _offices
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transversal section _group treatment
wallsection_offices 22
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“ People can be healed even if they are not cured.” - T. Zborowsky, R.N., Ph. D.