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Abstract
Research and design guidelines for therapeutic gardens target certain patient populations such as acute care, psychiatric, pediatric, geriatric, and Alzheimers patients. A significant patient population that has not been addressed, however, is maternity care patients. This thesis includes a literature review, a site analysis, and concludes with design development. The literature review covers topics such as stress in pregnancy, environmental psychology related to childbirth, nature and gardens as restorative agents, general meanings of home, and design development. The primary goal is to design a therapeutic garden that will alleviate maternal stress during hospital stays thereby protecting fetuses from adverse effects. Qualities of the home environment may assist in stress reduction are thus used to develop guidelines for therapeutic garden design specific to maternity care patients. The design guidelines are applied to develop a rooftop garden for a maternity care center in Atlanta, GA.