Dina Soudi

Inside out & Outside in Hospice

The project is a hospice care home, which provide healthcare for terminally ill children while handling more carefully with their needs and curiousity and enhancing the quality of their lives. To these children , it is a place to enjoy and fulfill those last days in a cheerful way full of care and love by designing thoughtful spaces that provide care in lively environments , so they can spend their final days in a worthwhile manner, for example; art workshop , music therapy, media room, playing area , relaxing courtyard, sensory gardens , herbs gardens , even patient rooms will be connected to both inside (courtyards) and outside through Terraces. The design will improve a better living of the terminally ill children through the materials(wood) , easy way findings , common seating areas , visitor room, the courtyards , which will create a positive environment in the hospice beside the functionality so they will feel more like at home rather than in the hospital. The hospice is accessible for all children and their beloved ones ,it has wide hallways and wide doors to be suitable for childrens with a wheelchair. The project generates nurturing and sensitive ambiance through the design elements such as ;surface material will mainly be timber construction and flooring will be wood as well , color palette will be orange in common areas and blue in patient bed rooms and therapy rooms to create a calming effect, lighting in every direction will be optimized from the courtyards . The project has four gardens varying in size and shape to enhance the curiosity for children and to make a different experience in every space and every season; greenery and outdoor spaces like terraces, courtyards with different trees to have a unique space through the year. The project is inspired from old Sacramento buildings(sacramento landmarks). an enclosed block to achieve security and create a careful balance achieved by adding the courts and the indoor common seating areas in the core of the project ,and on the other side having terraces around the building so it will not be isolated from the surrounding community . ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Design Process: I analyzed the surroundings and worked with a grid (5.5*5.5) to maintain the proportion of the nearby buildings which mainly has 11 m width . it is a block with four courtyards in the core (heart of the project) ,which are important to help the needs of the kids, some wants to play but others want to be quiet and relax. the Project consist of two floors , in the ground floor it is for the public functions; lobby ,Daycare,cafe, services , medical rooms , emergency room, staff changing rooms and as we go to the upper floor and toward the west it become more private where the patients rooms, visitor room ,media room, living room & dining room are. the patient rooms have two views , one to the courts and the other to the outside through a Terrace, where they can use it with there beds to have some fresh air when they are not feeling well. ----------------------------------------------------------------------