Le Guérisseur : Investigating the Therapeutic Qualities of Water as a Catalyst for healing in an Urban Oncology Wellness Treatment Centre

Abstract

During the minimalistic paradigm of the 20th century, in the quest to attain modern civilization, the ideal reciprocal relationship between architecture and landscape, man and nature, was abandoned as human needs and desires dictated that modern man and his built environment were more important and more powerful than nature.

This drastic disconnect with the natural environment had resulted in the rise of “diseases of affluence” and by the 20th century, in search to find cures, the increase in technological advancements led to the rapid evolution of medical science and an institutional architecture where state-of the art hospitals were designed to accommodate state of the art equipment, which led to a focus on functionality and rationality of form which has greatly affected patient recovery time and overall well-being which led to inhumane “healing” environments.

This dissertation aims to investigate the issue of the existing medical facilities and their disconnect to the natural environment and how architecture can realign its role by acting as a mediator between man and nature, promoting mutual exchange and benefits for the betterment of patient’s overall quality of life, sustainability, social equity, health and resilience. For this reason, the proposed program is an Urban Oncology Wellness Treatment Centre that would focus on the creation and interconnection between architecture and landscape, as their amalgamation promotes the idea of ‘SLOW LIFE HEALING SPACES’, an idea that promotes a better quality of life not only for patients, but also for families and staff.

The idea that a building can induce healing derives from the concept of Therapeutic Architecture, which according to According to Evangelia Chrysikou, explores various theories and principles such as the theory Ecopsychology, Biophilic Design, Phenomenology and lastly, Regenerative Design, (Chrysikou, n.d.). These concepts focus on the integration of the therapeutic qualities of and sustainability precepts of nature in healthcare treatments and typologies, human-centered design, and the emotional sensorial experience, which will all be investigated to create a basis for the theoretical framework and play an integral part in design and form.