ASSESSMENT OF THERAPEUTIC ARCHITECTURAL ELEMENTS IN NATURAL MEDICINE CENTERS IN ILORIN, NIGERIA

With the acceptance of traditional and complementary medicine as an alternative to conventional health care in Nigeria, the emergence of natural medicine centers (NMCs) has been of great significance in the Nigerian health care system. Many of these facilities are still housed in buildings built for residential or commercial use, which means that they do not have good spatial organization and environmental quality, although they are popular and are receiving more people. This study aimed to evaluate the integration of therapeutic architectural elements in selected natural medicine centers in the Ilorin south Local Government Area of Kwara State, Nigeria, to generate architectural design strategies for a purpose-designed natural medicine center. The study used a multiple case study research design, and the four selected natural medicine centers in Ilorin were compared with four selected international case studies of holistic health care facilities. Primary data were collected through field observation, architectural documentation, photographic survey, structured assessment checklist were used to collect primary data, and scholarly literature and documented health care projects. The five architectural variables assessed in this study (spatial planning, ventilation and passive cooling, daylighting and solar control, acoustic privacy, and biophilic integration) were evaluated and analyzed using a five-point rating scale. The results showed significant variations in the therapeutic architectural integration of the facilities under study. Healing Hands Natural Health Center and Agbaje Natural Health Center had the highest overall integration scores of 88%, whereas Ibujahd Herbal Clinic had a low score of 48% and the African center for Herbal Research had a score of 44%. The international case studies consistently achieved excellent results in all the evaluated parameters, especially in the fields of spatial hierarchy, PE design, and landscape integration. The difference between local and international facilities is largely due to the design intention and not solely due to lack of financial resources. The results guided the design of an architectural concept for a natural medicine center, which was purpose-built for the city of Ilorin. The center utilizes the architectural spatial approach, passive environmental measures, and healing environments to improve user comfort, privacy, and healthcare provision