Healing Habitation

Although one in two people will develop a form of cancer in their lifetime, the experience of healing from cancer is an extremely personal one. For patient’s experiencing harsh treatments and the devastation that comes with a diagnosis, a bleak and harsh hospital environment can negatively affect a patient’s healing and recovery process. The current design process is not conducive to a patient’s healing and only further perpetrates medical traumas upon their psyche. Currently the design process inhabits the medical gaze in prioritizing efficiency and profit-driven goals of the clinic, rather than uplifting the sensorial effect the architectural design has on its users. In understanding the connection between religious spaces and medical spaces, it becomes clear how the sensorial design process can elevate the healing process. Through this process, the healthcare network can transform from one designed solely for efficacy and sterilization into a beacon of healing that prioritizes comfort on all levels.