Discussing more theories..

 Restorative Garden Design

This theory deals with the design of a garden and its importance on the healing process. Throughout history there is evidence to show that gardens have been used as spaces to heal and promote wellness.

Health is defined as “a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity”

This theory was developed by Rodger Ulrich. 

The Theory of Restorative Garden Design takes into consideration that specific gardens should be designed for different situations. This theory is also linked to Wilsons theory of Biophilia, which describes that there is a subconscious link and bond between humans and other living species 

The Restorative Garden Design theory is based on research done into the behavioral sciences of human beings, focusing on health care related fields are important stress managing environments not only needed by the patients but by the staff and family members. 

Gardens in health care situations offer; social support, sense of control, space for physical movement and exercise and access to nature and other positive distractions.

Taking into consideration Dr. Bill Hettler’s Dimensions of Wellness theory, there are 6 aspects that affect wellness of a human, namely, physical, social, environmental, emotional, spiritual and intellectual, as seen in the figure below. All aspects of healing should be dealt with in a design that deals with healing for humans.

This theory is based on the link between humans and other living species such as animals and plants, as the world becomes more and more built up, there is a struggle to try and preserve as well as incorporate nature into our everyday lives. Small changes such as plants and fresh air make such a difference to our immediate environment. 

Taking my own advice, I moved my desk to look out my window, and bought some plants to brighten up my otherwise very industrial styled flat. This has had a positive influence on the feeling I get when working at my desk, that could be the change or the view and plants.. or maybe a combination of both!

Discussing the Design Theories..

Healing Spaces: Elements of Environmental Design That Make an Impact on Health and Buildings that Heal.

The first design theory that influenced my design for the wholeness retreat is the theory of healing spaces and creating a space that can heal.

The aim of this is to create a space that can heal the patients, not only the therapies offered heal the patients. The space itself will form part of the healing process.

Ales Stark explains the healing process as:

A healing structure can be understood as a holographic projection of the larger cosmos and of its laws.

This means that healing cannot be seen on its own, it is a complete balance of many factors, it can be related to many modern day laws of physics such as the field theory and the chaos theory.

To read more on this, follow this link: http://www.alexstark.com/pdfs/Buildings%20that%20Heal.pdf

This theory is very interesting as it encompasses lots of different ideas and view on sites and buildings. This theory attempts to explain the energy of the building, some people would call it the atmosphere or the vibe of the building. This is something that we cannot see but it definitely has an influence on the space.

There are many factors that influence the building, namely;

• Site Evaluation and Planning
• Topography and Orientation
• The Healing Power of Gardens
• Architecture and Building Form and Interior Design and Energy Flow
• Personal Space
• The Sensory Environment
• Complexity of the Environment
• Ventilation, Light and Views
• Land Energy and Earth Healing
• The Building Practices and Rituals

All these factors have to be considered when designing a space, these topics are considered when designing a building practically in terms of sun and orientation, but the history of the site needs to be taken into consideration. These topics have been looked at in the regard of the energy and the spirit of the land. 

Considering the spirit of the land is where the theory of Feng Shui is linked to this theory.

Feng shui is a long and complicated Japanese theory on living and organizing their lives and the buildings, it is very interesting, so to read up more on the Feng Shui theory follow this link: http://fengshui.about.com/od/glossaryofterms/u/fengshui101.htm