Maritime Sanatorium
The San Juan de Dios Maritime Sanatorium, founded in 1929, was established to care for patients with the aftereffects of polio and bone tuberculosis. Today, it has become a well-established rehabilitation center focused on children with disabilities, with a particular emphasis on children with organic brain damage and those from vulnerable social backgrounds and families experiencing abandonment.
Located in a coastal setting, the sanatorium boasts expansive outdoor areas that are an integral part of its residents’ experience. In this context, and thanks to a donation from the Los Cedros Foundation , the institution initiated the development of a Master Plan aimed at restructuring its green spaces, recreational areas, and sports facilities. The Cosmos Foundation was invited to participate in this process, collaborating with the hospital community in redefining some key areas, including the design of the park and a memorial space.
Therapeutic Gardens, which contain a memorial area, “offer profound comfort and relief to those who have experienced loss, trauma, or have been displaced (…). The impulse to create a place that represents someone who has passed away; expresses grief; is a ritual area for remembering and honoring death; is an element universally shared by multiple cultures and ethnicities in different geographic areas of the world. A place of remembrance is usually an idealized version of nature; where the beauty of trees and flowers overcome death, providing relief from grief.”
Excerpt from the book Therapeutic Gardens: Designing for Healing Spaces by Daniel Winterbottom and Amy Wagenfeld.
Therapeutic Gardens to reflect, remember and take refuge
Following the specialized project execution and various participatory planting activities, the Therapeutic and Memorial Garden was inaugurated on Friday, May 17, 2019. This open-air space will allow for the development of therapies and recreational activities for all residents and students of the Sanatorio Marítimo.
The memorial area—within the Therapeutic Garden—is a place that provides a space for reflection and contemplation; it supports the healing process following the loss of children, youth, and older adults who have lived in the institution; and it facilitates the building of important bonds between residents, staff, and guardians.
To reflect the feelings of the sanatorium community, and seeking to make it a place they felt was their own and meet the therapy and rehabilitation needs of the community, the entire planning and creation of the Therapeutic Garden and Memorial was carried out through the methodological process implemented by the Cosmos Foundation team, which includes six stages:
The project’s technical design was developed based on the findings from the diagnostic stages (physical, social, and clinical) and participatory design (territorial linkage and mapping). The final design included four areas or components, which shaped the Therapeutic and Memorial Garden:
- Experimental area
- Workshops and Hortitherapy Area
- Meeting area
- Memorial Area