Design Approach: Care-Centered Landscape
The landscape for the Institute of Palliative Medicine was envisioned around the philosophy of compassionate spaces — environments that nurture dignity, calm, and emotional comfort. Set within a heavily contoured site rich in existing trees, the design works with the natural terrain rather than altering it drastically. Accessibility became a central driver, with carefully graded pathways and barrier-free movement integrated across levels. The landscape aims to soften the clinical environment, offering shaded courts, restorative views, and inclusive circulation. This project became a meaningful exploration of how thoughtful landscape design can translate compassion into built form and lived experience.
Developed over nearly two years from conception to execution, the project marked our studio’s first engagement with a healthcare landscape. It became a deeply moving learning process — reminding us that compassion can shape design, and in turn, design can quietly hold compassion for those who inhabit it.
Photographs: Unsolved Comet, Ar.Akshay Babu
