This paper presents the architects' and landscape architects' point of views on their original design intentions in designing and planning hospital courtyard gardens (HCGs) in Malaysia. Following a field observation, a semi-structured interview with two architects and two landscape architects was conducted. Additionally, the architectural design briefs for three selected Malaysian hospitals were obtained as secondary data for this study. The results revealed that the intended common design pointed out by the architects includes: i) Daylighting strategy; ii) Ventilation strategy; iii) Access to nature; and iv) Point of orientation. Landscape architects, on the other hand, are concerned with: i) Forest-like garden concept; ii) Natural and organic form instead of aesthetic appearance; iii) An escape place for relieving stress and; iv) A hang-out space for socialisation. This paper contributes to the understanding of how designers would think and determine the architectural plan and landscape design in achieving an optimal HCG design to meet the needs of the intended users.

Individuals’ mental health and well-being are significantly influenced by being in a natural setting and viewing nature. Hospital courtyard gardens (HCG) is a common feature found in public hospitals in Malaysia. Nevertheless, the factors influencing the visitation and non-visitation to the HCG are less understood. This study attempts to investigate factors influencing the visit and non-visitation of patients, staff and visitors to the HCGs in three Malaysian public hospitals. The research findings are instrumental to the architects and landscape architects to make necessary improvements for future HCG design and the hospital managers to enhance and retrofit the existing HCG.

This paper examines the behaviour of users of a large central courtyard in a hospital with the aim to develop an understanding of the activities and the space use patterns of patients, staff and visitors. Video-based and direct observation, as well as behaviour mapping, were employed to investigate how different types of users interact with the courtyard garden. This study reveals that significant differences existed in the way different user groups utilised the courtyard garden on a daily basis and this was found to be highly influenced by the physical environment, the hospital opening hours and the courtyard micro-climate

Since the 1970s, courtyard gardens with diverse scales and design configurations have been introduced in the planning of Malaysian public hospitals to enhance users’ experiences. However, these have never been systematically evaluated to understand of how they perform and what improvements can be made to them to increase their responsiveness to users’ needs and inform the practice of both hospital designers and managers. This paper presents the results of fieldwork conducted in a large central courtyard in a Malaysian public hospital. Interview surveys and field measurements were conducted to provide a new understanding of users’ perceptions of the various physical and environmental attributes and their satisfaction levels with them.