HOLISTIC HOSPICE

Thesis: "The emotional comfort of patients, families, and staff in hospice centers can be improved by a holistic approach in design."

Dreadfulness, worry, discomfort, restlessness, and isolation - these are the 5 predetermined emotions one most likely will bring with them to such an environment. This Hospice center will focus on helping occupants confront and accept these feelings, rather than create moments of design that allow one to temporarily run away from such feelings. It is important to recognize that the experience and memory from such a traumatic time (hospice patient) will leave an everlasting impact on those in attendance. This center will aim to heal the emotional fluster that occupants will undoubtedly experience here.

The design process will focus on addressing predetermined emotions, programmatic juxtapositions, and institutional narrative shifts. The most imperative move is the shift of culture - the hospice center shifts its medical narrative and directionality towards that of a museum, where each patient's spiritual token that they brought with them upon admission, will become an everlasting memento/artwork to be on display throughout the site. Their memory lives on forever through these artifacts. Additionally, it was important to use timber frame construction as the primary materiality, as nature can create a positive emotional response when used in the design process.