Biophilic design: Creating biophilic healing spaces

Healthcare space are spaces that are meant for the healing; it is important to create an environment which helps to facilitate the healing in these places. In theory, the concept of biophilia has proven to improve the well-being of the occupant in any built spaces. This study focuses on understanding the importance of incorporating the concept of biophilic architecture in healthcare setting. The practical implication of applying this concept was verified through specific literatures about biophilic architecture in healthcare and stakeholder interviews with experts from the field, which helped in understanding the importance of introducing a healing environment in healthcare design. In this research, a new perspective to the biophilic architecture was explored, which is the cultural dimension. Culture and Biophilia are closely linked, yet this perspective has never been explored in biophilic design. For this, the local culture specific to New Zealand was considered and cultural expert Ron Bull was contacted to understand how people can connect themselves to New Zealand and understand cultural appropriation. Furthermore, the cultural context was compared to the concept of biophilia which helped in developing a conceptual framework that can be applied to a design. This thesis explores the role of culture and biophilic environment can help to improve the health and well-being of a person in a healthcare environment.

Name thesis:degree_name

Master of Design

Level thesis:degree_level

Masters

Grantor

Otago Polytechnic | Te Pūkenga - New Zealand Institute of Skills and Technology

Year dc:date.issued

2023

Author dc:creator

• Sethuraman, Keerthana Ram

• Aotearoa
• New Zealand
• health architecture
• health care
• biophilic design
• Māori values and protocols
• interior design

Statement dc:rights

• Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International

Licence dc:rights.uri

• http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/

Language dc:language.iso

en

DOI

https://doi.org/10.34074/thes.6049

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:null:10652/6049