Landscape preferences of a children's hospital by children and therapists

Hospital green spaces are important for the well-being and health of patients, especially in children' hospitals, because children are usually more sensitive than other groups of the society. Therefore, knowledge of users' preferences about the landscape design of the hospitals is important to maximize the benefits of green spaces and achieve the desired spaces. This research aimed to examine the views and preferences of the children and therapists on the effective factors in the landscape design of a children's hospital considering the age and spirits of the children during their treatment period. To pursue this aim, 60 sick children, and 60 hospital staff (therapists) evaluated 84 simulated images and responded to the questionnaires. The results showed that there were no significant differences between children's and therapists' preferences on the landscape of a children's hospital. Both respondent groups preferred warm colors. Also, among the types of topiary, design styles, and types of space design, the children preferred animal shapes and cartoon characters, combinations of flowers and turf grasses in planting beds, combinations of water fountains with flower beds instead of water fountains alone. They also preferred weeping-form trees and combined furniture forms with plants. This research showed that therapists can be good representatives for obtaining children's preferences about the landscape design factors. Also, they can be used in such children's preference studies when a direct assessment of the children's preferences is less possible. Therefore, these results could help architects and designers to provide better-suited hospital landscapes for children.