Inviting Humor Into the Therapeutic Landscape: Site Design, Principles, and Process For Gilda's Club Seattle

by Jan Satterthwaite

Chairperson of the Supervisory Committee

Assistant Professor Nancy Rottle
Department of Landscape Architecture
2003

As landscape architects begin to work more in health care settings, the demands on the designer increase in sophistication, complexity of information and sensitivity to the garden user. This study explores the questions of health and well-being, specifically for people living with cancer. The connection between humor and health is drawn almost universally, by lay persons and medical professionals alike, in ancient writings as well as in the most up-to-date medical journals. The range of techniques for creating and applying humor in the landscape leave endless possibilities for the intuitive designer to explore. The use of humor in this design offers more than an aesthetic experience. It involves the visual and physical interaction of the people who use the garden, providing a unique intersection between landscape, people, humorous art and salvaged materials. The metamorphosis of experiences and emotions that come from creating and participating with humor is the poetry driving this design.