Healthcare and the Environment: A Holistic Approach

• Main Author: Tosheff, Tiffany Leeann
• Language: en
• Published: 2010
• Subjects: architecture; healthcare; nature; healing; paediatric; oncology; Architecture
• Online Access: http://hdl.handle.net/10012/5024

There is an increasing need for a local comprehensive cancer treatment centre that caters primarily to children. This design proposes a paediatric facility that will be located in Waterloo Region to meet the needs of the area’s rapidly increasing population. It will serve children under the age of eighteen, their families, and the surrounding community. The proposed site will be in Floradale, a small rural community in Waterloo Region, approximately 15 km from Kitchener/Waterloo. This site is located directly adjacent to the Woolwich Reservoir and was chosen because of its close proximity to this natural environment. Although it is located in a rural area, the proposed facility is still close to the urban core and the two existing general hospitals in the region. Based on the rapid population growth of the region, the city boundaries are quickly expanding outwards, closing the gap between Floradale and Kitchener/Waterloo. The thesis offers a series of design principles that have been applied to the proposed facility. The design principals were established by completing a historical review, researching a variety of architectural precedent studies, and through various site visits to healthcare facilities. In order for the proposed paediatric facility to be a successful, functioning component of the community, it will recognize and incorporate the existing services present in Floradale and Waterloo Region and build upon them. The design explores the existing community groups, organizations, services, and community needs in order to propose a holistic approach connecting services to the healthcare facility, which will in turn enhance community vitality. The purpose of a healthcare facility is to access, treat, and heal the patients and families that visit. This design creates a facility where the natural and the built environment will aid in the healing process.