Restoration characteristics of the internal healing environments: The specialty of visually extended space neighboring multi-story housing

Abstract

The concept of restoration is linked to the objectives achieved by the design characteristics of the internal space that support users' physical and mental health in recovery, improvement, vitality in performance, and stimulation of activity. The research addressed the design characteristics that give restoration features to the internal spaces as a design strategy to support the health of the individuals, that by adopting one of those characteristics which are the visually extended views neighboring, which is required for multi-story housing buildings through the views achieved by the permeability of the residential unit with the neighboring nature. The research, in its methodology, relied on getting a theoretical framework for the main items of the characteristics of the restoration spaces through the direct and indirect impact on the physical, mental and psychological health of the residents. The objectives of the research are concerned with discovering the impact of visual extended factors achieved by the external boundaries of the residential unit on its natural surroundings, a selected sample of 10 housing projects in Erbil/Iraq was measured. The research hypothesis was tested using Isovist-graph software for one of the comprehensive visual characteristics of the optical axes (Entropy), which determines the amount of comprehensive information about the internal spaces that can be known from the point of entry. The conclusion is the impact of the visual depth on the formation of axes of the visual extended that is held by a relationship of the external natural boundaries of the residential unit, and therefore the diversity in the visual characteristics of the spaces extending outside, which give the renewal and vitality to the spaces used.