Forest design for mental health promotion—Using perceived sensory dimensions to elicit restorative responses

Abstract

At present, research within health promoting environments is dominated by a focus on the difference between the urban and the natural environment. However, little knowledge exists regarding which qualities within the natural environment promote restoration.The aim of the paper is to identify which qualities and perceived sensory dimensions (PSD) of a forest environment are psychologically restorative.The research consists of 26 participants' ratings and experiences of psychological restoration in a forest environment called the Health Forest Octovia®, which consists of eight different rooms designed according to previous research on PSDs, where each room represents one of the PSDs. The participants rated the restorativeness of the rooms on a scale and they were interviewed about their experiences. The interviews were analyzed by an interpretative phenomenological analysis (IPA).The results from the rating exercise show that the rooms where the PSDs serene, rich in species, refuge and nature are dominant are rated highest with regards to restoration, which supports the previous research on the subject. Further, the findings from the IPA indicate that the spatial aspects are important for the experience of restoration. An environment which includes diverse vegetation and balances enclosed dense growth with more open views is regarded as being optimal for restoration. The dense growth should have the appearance of a den and offer experiences of privacy.The results validate the potential for using the PSDs as guidelines for designing health-promoting natural environments.