Co-Creation Process of a Healing Garden in a Children's Healthcare Facility: Designing with Patients, Families and Staff in Santiago, Chile

Daniela Casanello Frisius (Ecoplan)

There is an increasing interest in the last years for healing gardens in Chilean hospitals and other health care facilities to provide therapeutic benefits. A children's healing gardens is a playful garden in health care facility to improve children's health, the sense of wellbeing, and reduce their stress.

The health care facility in this study is a nonprofit organization specialized in burned children in Santiago. Children from all South American countries come to this institution for an integral rehabilitation and treatment. A healing garden was proposed for the Rehabilitation Center's Guest House in order to help in the healing process of the children, to reduce their and theirs families' stress level, to create an outdoor classroom for the Rehabilitation Center's school, and to provide a relaxation space for staff members, among others. The design and construction was a participative process, which involved different stakeholders such as patients, families, staff, institutions and volunteers. First, families and staff members participated in separated interviews, and ten children in workshops that comprise drawings and a photo sorting method. These provided a list of considerations and requests for the garden design such as accessibility, familiarity, small and big group rest areas, shade, play areas, etc. Second, a design plan was completed by landscape architects and evaluated by the institutions and children. Finally, the construction was completed with the participation of the health care facility community, people from the institutions involved and volunteers. A final evaluation was conducted a month after the construction to determine how the community is using the new garden, and if the garden meets the proposed goals. Results from interviews, observations and mapping indicated important benefits from the garden. Different Chilean native plants were tested to provide biodiversity. The whole process and results will stayed a precedent in Chile for healing gardens.