| dc.description.abstract | Liver diseases refer to any condition that damages the liver and prevents it from functioning well. There is an increase in liver disease cases in Uganda that can be mainly attributed to the unprescribed use of herbal medicines, self-medication, and lifestyle choices like excessive consumption of alcoholic beverages and drugs, genetics and other diseases like HIV/AIDS to mention but a few. Medical treatments and rehabilitation is aimed at improving the quality of life of the affected but there is an enormous knowledge gap of how liver disease rehabilitation centres should be designed and how they would work in the Ugandan context. The study took a qualitative approach to gain a deeper understanding of the environment in which liver disease and transplant patients live aiming at understanding various design strategies while putting emphasis on specific design guidelines for these patients. Personal observation, interviews, literature review and use of research questions were the tools employed during the study. The study found that architectural design can be used to create comfortable, safe, and restorative healthcare environment by exploring certain design variables; building configuration, organisation of spaces, space relationships, safety, mobility, accessibility, wayfinding, lighting and visual contrast, colour and contrast, materiality and finishes, and views and openings, etc. This research highlights the value of rehabilitative architecture as a way to assist recovery. The intimate relationship between the body and architecture is demonstrated as essential to liver disease recovery. It provides architects and designers with an important set of principles in which to conduct a coherent and credible design solution for any healing environment, for the benefit of the patient and their recovery | en_US |
