Supervisor:<\/em> Assessment Committee:<\/em> Summary:<\/em> The thesis is available at the PhD administration office at \u00d8ster Voldgade 10, 04.1.415<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Ulrik Sidenius defends his thesis, The Therapy Garden Nacadia\u00ae The interplay between evidence-based health design in landscape architecture, nature-based therapy and the individual Supervisor: Professor Ulrika Stigsdotter, IGN Assessment Committee: Professor Patrik Grahn, Department of Work Science, Business Economics and Environmental Psychology, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences Senior Lecturer Shureen Faris Abddul Shukor, Faculty of […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":16,"featured_media":52401,"template":"","class_list":["post-52400","event","type-event","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","event_category-phd-thesis-defense"],"acf":[],"aioseo_notices":[],"yoast_head":"\n
\nProfessor Ulrika Stigsdotter, IGN<\/p>\n
\nProfessor Patrik Grahn, Department of Work Science, Business Economics and Environmental Psychology, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences
\nSenior Lecturer Shureen Faris Abddul Shukor, Faculty of Design and Architecture, Universiti Putra Malaysia
\nProfessor Frank S\u00f8ndergaard Jensen (chair), IGN<\/p>\n
\nThe therapy garden Nacadia\u00ae is designed to provide a setting and framework for a nature-based therapy (NBT) program for people suffering from stress-related illnesses. It was established through an evidence-based health design in landscape architecture (EBHDL) process, an interdisciplinary collaborative process that used state-of-the-art evidence and expert knowledge on therapy gardens and NBT. This PhD project is an exploratory study that examines the relationship between the design of a therapy garden, a nature-based therapy program and citizens with severe stress. The overall aim is to gain a deeper understanding of and develop more knowledge about landscape architecture in a therapeutic intervention under Danish conditions. Data were collected from 42 severely stress citizens during a 10 week NBT program in Nacadia. Several data collection and data processing methods were used: Landscape analyses, observations, participants\u2019 logbooks, interviews and questionnaires.
\nThe first part of the study determined how the different types of activity were distributed around the garden and that the most preferred rooms were described as: \u201cEnclosed\u201d, or \u201cslightly closed\u201d but with a \u201cview out\u201d, to \u201csee far\u201d, and \u201csee the sky\u201d to get a \u201csense of expanse\u201d. It gave the participants the feeling that their \u201cbacks were covered\u201d and that they were \u201cprotected from behind\u201d. Such places were preferred for emptying the mind, reflecting in peace or getting small experiences. The second part of the study shows that the participants in NBT experience it as a dynamically evolving process in which they explore and develop to understand themselves and life from new perspectives, and to live life from new approaches that can be implemented in their own lives after the NBT. The level of their capacities increases linearly. A third part of the study conclusively evaluates the garden design in relation to its original aim and objectives. A number of successes and minor failures in Nacadia were identified. Overall, the design of the garden meets the original objectives satisfactorily. The issue of exposure was the biggest problem in the design. Further the third study develops a model for diagnostic post occupancy evaluations (DPOE) of therapy gardens. It is an effective tool for ensuring health-promoting effects in accordance with the aims and objectives of the landscape design.<\/p>\n