Sunnyside: A therapeutic landscape : LASC 408 design study

Abstract

The last five years has seen dramatic changes in the health system of New Zealand. The restructuring of health service has meant that increasingly cost efficient options must be adopted. These have had dramatic ramifications for many New Zealanders. In Canterbury HealthLink South has the responsibility for providing public health services. Currently one of the aims of this CHE is rationalising exisitng operations. This has lead to a proposal to consolidate all exisiting Christchurch mental health services on one site. The need for this rationalisation is a direct result of changes in modern psychiatric care, with emphasis now on locating the mentally and intellectually disabled in the community, rather than within instituations. However it must be recognised that there will always be a cerain number of people who cannot live within the community. HealthLink South is currently investigating possibilities for the provision of services to these people. The favoured option is to re-develop Sunnyside Hospital as this has been identified as the most suitable site. HealthLink South have engaged the services of a landscape architect to investigae the potential of the site to provide a high-qulaity environment for patient care, and to develop a plan based upon current philosophies of treatment.