The Hardscape Room : ett trädgårdsrum i Alnarps rehabiliteringsträdgårdar

Abstract: This master thesis covers the design of a special garden room, The Hardscape Room, in The Rehabilitation Gardens at Alnarp, in southern Sweden, as well as describes the design process. The Rehabilitation Gardens are intended to serve several purposes. It will offer horticultural therapeutic treatment programs for people diagnosed as having had burnout disease for an extended period. Research is also aimed at studying the possible impact of different garden design hypotheses as well as different forms of horticultural therapy. In The Rehabilitation Gardens at Alnarp the most extreme and demanding garden room focused on cultivation and horticultural therapy is The Hardscape Room. This room represents an attempt to design a garden room in which the activities alone - gardening and horticultural therapy - are in focus. The Hardscape Room is primarily aimed at studying the therapeutic effects of horticulture therapy in a strictly designed and rational environment. The Hardscape Room is therefore intentionally designed to deviate from the rest of The Rehabilitation Gardens at Alnarp. The Hardscape Room is thus ment to fit patients at the end of their healing process. The aim is to document the design process, which also involves the researchers at Alnarp. By means of this method, I strive to create a stimulating outdoor environment for the participants. The work process includes a literature survey, interviews with technical personnel and scientists, as well as several visits to the Alnarp Rehabilitation Gardens. I have given the Hardscape Room a strict and consistent design. I have chosen a limited selection of construction materials (concrete and metal) with intentionally little variation in sober colours, in order to create a harmonious and peaceful working environment. The Hardscape Room is subdivided into three smaller areas: The Workshop, The Craft room and The Recreational area. The different characteristics of each area provide the means for different types of activities and rest. It is my sincere wish that the proposed Hardscape Room should offer possibilities and means for both staff and participants to fill this room with their own ideas and creativity.