Exploring Restorative Spatial Design In Hospitals: Examining Courtyards And Green Spaces Through A Biophilic Design Perspective In Selected Hospital Settings

Abstract

The physical conditions in health care settings can impact the physical, mental and emotional health of patients, visitors and healthcare workers. This study is to explore and evaluate nature-integrated spaces in selected public and private hospitals in Lahore city using a structured framework of Biophilic design audit. Its research assesses how much the natural elements are used in healthcare environments and how they help to create restorative and therapeutic experiences. The results also indicate that while many hospitals have open areas (courtyards, lawns, landscaped spaces, etc.), these areas tend to be underutilized, under-maintained, and not well integrated into the overall healing process. They have restricted seating, inadequate shading, poor accessibility and inadequate landscape planning, which lessens their therapeutic value. Comparative analysis shows that, in general, private hospitals offer more aesthetically-designed and well-maintained healing environments, whereas public hospitals, due to their large spatial potential, encounter issues in maintaining the environment, in coordinating the planning of their spaces, and in integrating the biophilic approach into their spatial design. The research points towards some critical opportunities for making improvements to health care environments through nature-based solutions with low-cost benefits based on the “Hospital in a Garden” principle. It ends with design and policy suggestions on embedding biophilic planning into hospital protocols, the creation of more fluid connections between the indoor and outdoor environments, and more sustainable, therapeutic healthcare spaces for rapidly urbanizing cities.