Wordless Wednesday, 1/25/12 – Snowy seedheads
January 25th, 2012
Environments for Aging 2012 conference – A lot to offer!
January 23rd, 2012
Wow! I just looked at the full list of Session Descriptions for this year’s Environments for Aging conference (4/21 – 5/1/12 in Orlando, FL) and it looks amazing. I’m so encouraged that there are eight presentations that mention or focus on access to nature in the title and/or description. Definitely more than last year – a good sign! And I’m sure many of the other presentations will touch on this subject as well. I went to EFA last year, and I was impressed with the caliber of the speakers, presentations, and attendees. If you are interested in outdoor environments for seniors, this is THE conference to go to. Here’s the full conference agenda, here is the full list of session descriptions, and here’s a link to register.
Oh, and if you register by this Friday, 1/27, you get a significant early-bird discount.
Read on for details on the 8 session that I think will be of particular interest to our members…
Therapeutic Landscapes with The Patron Saint of Architecture
January 19th, 2012
This week on the blog, “The Patron Saint of Architecture,” Angela Mazzi features therapeutic landscapes through an interview with me. She asked some excellent, thought-provoking questions that get to the heart of what therapeutic landscapes are, how they function, why they’re necessary, and what designers and healthcare providers can do to make sure that they get incorporated into their projects.
Angela is an architect who specializes in healthcare. Her blog explores all sorts of aspects of healthcare-related design, including (of course) design, as well as business strategies, communication techniques, and “thoughts on how to get and stay inspired as a designer.”
Here are a couple snippets, but I encourage you to read the full post on The Patron Saint of Architecture blog.
How Does your Garden Grow? The Role of Therapeutic Landscapes in Design, by Angela Mazzi
What does landscaping mean to you? Most likely, not nearly enough. Too easily, we view it as decorative, a “nice to have” part of a project. However, as we learn more about salutogenic design and the effects of the environment on wellness (everything from healing to better job performance), landscape starts to become a critical element, one which should form the basis of design. With this in mind, I asked Naomi Sachs, Founder and Director of the Therapeutic Landscapes Network (TLN) to share some insights on the power of nature.
What is the difference between landscaping and a garden? Is it only about habitation?
In general, I would say that a “landscape” is any outdoor space, wild or designed, and a “garden” is a designed space. A restorative landscape is simply an outdoor space that makes you feel good when you’re in it. To me, “landscaping” implies decorative elements like a lawn, shrubs, some trees, and is not necessarily intended for interaction. A therapeutic (or healing) garden is a space designed for a specific population (children, cancer patients, people with Alzheimer’s) and a specific intended outcome (stress reduction, positive distraction, rehabilitation). This is not to say that landscaping isn’t important. Well-designed and maintained landscapes communicate to patients and their families that they will receive a high level of care, and this can happen from the moment you cross the property line. Even areas such as parking lots can utilize landscape to provide and reinforce the overall image and mission of the facility.
Maintenance is always a concern when it comes to landscaping- I’ve actually worked with healthcare clients who wanted nothing but grass in the areas they “had” to landscape for ease of maintenance. What kind of recommendations can you make to landscape skeptics about using plantings?
Access to nature just makes good business sense. Studies by Roger Ulrich, confirmed by others, have demonstrated less need for pain medication, improved patient satisfaction, faster recovery rates, and many other examples of improved outcomes for patients and staff. When you really look at the benefits of providing access to nature, the return on investment (ROI) justifies the initial cost and lifetime maintenance. Hospitals need to see landscaping as a strategic investment in the same manner they would the purchase of a new MRI.
Visit The Patron Saint of Architecture to read the full article. Thank you, Angela, for a great conversation and post!
Internet SOPA / PIPA Strike
January 18th, 2012
If it’s good enough for Wikipedia…
We rarely get political here at the Therapeutic Landscapes Network, but since a huge part of our mission is to “provide information, free of charge, about gardens and landscapes that promote health and well-being,” this seems like a time to dive in to the fray. So, no TLN Blog post “exploring the connection between nature and health” today.
Instead, please visit the SOPA strike page (http://sopastrike.com/strike) and add your voice to the thousands of people, organizations, and businesses speaking out against the internet censorship bills, SOPA & PIPA. This page takes you straight to a petition, and this page and provides some good information, including who all is participating. Quite an impressive list.
Or just cut to the chase and Contact Congress now. Not in the U.S.? Petition the State Department.
Wikipedia has kindly left this page up for you to learn more about SOPA and PIPA: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:SOPA_initiative/Learn_more. Here’s their synopsis of the 2 bills:
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SOPA and PIPA represent two bills in the United States House of Representatives and the United States Senate respectively. SOPA is short for the “Stop Online Piracy Act,” and PIPA is an acronym for the “Protect IP Act.” (“IP” stands for “intellectual property.”) In short, these bills are efforts to stop copyright infringement committed by foreign web sites, but, in our opinion, they do so in a way that actually infringes free expression while harming the Internet. Detailed information about these bills can be found in the Stop Online Piracy Act and PROTECT IP Act articles on Wikipedia, which are available during the blackout.
EDRA 2012 Great Places Awards due Friday, 1/27
January 10th, 2012
Do You Know A GREAT PLACE?
The Environmental Design Research Association (EDRA) is currently accepting submissions for the 14th Annual Great Places Awards for Place Design, Planning, Research and Book.
Entries are welcome from the full breadth of environmental design and related research activities, including architecture, landscape architecture, planning, urban design, interior design, lighting design, graphic design, environmental psychology, sociology, anthropology, geography and the physical sciences. Projects should emphasize a link between research and practice, demonstrating how an understanding of human interaction with place can inspire design.
A panel of illustrious jurors will select winners from four categories: place design, place planning, place research, and a book prize. This year’s distinguished jurors include: Richard Haag, FASLA, BCSLA, Hon AIA, Principal, Richard Haag Associates; Milenko Matanovic, Executive Director, Pomegranate Center; Julie Parrett, RLA, Lecturer, Landscape Architecture, University of Washington; Michael Pyatok, FAIA, Principal, Pyatok Architects; and Sharon E. Sutton, PhD, FAIA, Professor, Architecture and Urban Design, University of Washington.
For submission guidelines, rules and official entry form, please click here, or visit www.edra.org.
All entries for the 2012 Great Places Awards must be received by January 27, 2012.
