Biophilic Veterans Rehab Center: A Place for Healing
Abstract
The topic of this thesis project is a veterans rehab center that utilizes biophilic design. Biophilia is thought to help expedite the healing process for many kinds of ailments from mental to physical. The rehab center will be a place where veterans can interact with the public, and maintain a strong connection to nature through the built and natural environment. The public interactions, coupled with the connection to nature through biophilic design will create a safe, comfortable environment, that is conducive for healing.
The design of the building and program will be heavily based on the research that has, and will be done throughout the semester. Research will be gathered by interviewing individuals at veterans rehab centers. Patients will be interviewed about the strengths and weaknesses of the facility, and what could be improved. Physicians will be interviewed on the program and the perceived success of the facility, and the activities veterans perform. Literature reviews will also be done to further research successful designs for a rehabilitation center. Iterations will be done based on the information that was gathered from the interviews and literature, and assessed for the most successful design.