Spatial Characteristics of Outdoor Spaces That Support User’s Activities Within Hospitals in Abuja, Nigeria

Abstract

Hospital outdoor spaces (HOS) play an important role in supporting physical and mental wellbeing among patients and visitors. These spaces are often designed to serve as auxiliary spaces within the hospital environment in developed countries, while it is often ignored in underdeveloped countries. The study aims to identify the spatial characteristics within the hospital's outdoor space that optimally support users’ activities. It employed a mixed method using a purposive sampling technique, the studied hospitals were selected within Abuja, Nigeria based on their outdoor spatial characteristics. A 5-point Likert scale was used to assess the perception of both physical and social attributes derived from hospital outdoor spaces. A total of 343 questionnaires were returned and analyzed for this study. The observation of human activities, and administering of the questionnaire were done alongside measuring microclimatic parameters in three phases between the hours of 9:00 am – 12:00 pm, 12:00 pm – 3:00 pm, and 3:00 pm – 6:00 pm for five working days of the week. The results reveal a lack of inclusiveness of hospital outdoor spaces in their design which makes the spaces unsuitable for the various human activities. It also identifies the significant relationship between spatial characteristics and user activities to be optimal, if such spaces are designed and located close to the various units within the facility. The study concludes by suggesting that policies should be implemented that make hospital outdoor spaces an integral part of hospital design for a more sustainable hospital environment.