the grove
The Grove is a veteran's living community designed to assist with reintegration back into society. The space will have therapy spaces such as counselling and physiotherapy within it. There will be plenty of activities available encouraging social interaction between tenants. The inspiration behind the design came from taking a walk in the park, with the feeling of being in nature being a calming, positive feeling.
Green and blue hues were chosen for this project due to their calming and peaceful tendencies. Many veterans suffer from PTSD so making their everyday environment as peaceful and nurturing as possible will create ease in their journey returning to civilized society. Blue has been found to lower blood pressure and green has been found to cause less strain on the eye muscles. Additionally, plant life was added to the space to enhance these aspects and assist with mental health. It has been found that being in nature has a major impact on mental health, increasing mood, reducing stress, and creating more feelings of relaxation. Nature has also been found to create feelings of ‘awe’, which studies show improve mood and cause greater life satisfaction. Awe can be described as a powerful feeling that can overcome an individual and allow them to pause and reflect, it is often associated with feelings of gratitude.
Project done with Ashley Grunow, Christina Turenne and Medina Cowan.