Therapeutic garden at the Expocenter of Ukraine
The project is being implemented by the National Complex ‘Expocenter of Ukraine’ together with the Ministry of Veterans Affairs as part of the National Strategy for creating a barrier-free space in Ukraine at the initiative of the First Lady Olena Zelenska. The therapeutic garden for the Expocenter is being designed by Big City Lab urban bureau in partnership with PUPA architectural bureau. The project is supported by Visa, PrivatBank, Work UA, and Expolight.
A therapeutic garden is a public space to improve the physical, psychological and social health of military personnel, veterans and civilians.
The main idea of such a garden is that nature restores human health, helping to reduce stress, improve mood, accelerate recovery from illness or surgery, and improve physical well-being by:
- horticultural therapy;
- visual, sound and tactile contact with nature, a sense of ‘grounding’;
- community, which is the best tool for socialisation and one of the most important aspects of reintegration/recovery;
- adaptive sports, which help to recover from injuries, keep the body and mind in good shape;
- a barrier-free space that everyone can use.
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Main functional areas
- Horticultural therapy for recovery through work with the earth and plants
- Area of body practices: yoga, ergotherapy and adaptive sports ground
- Area for art therapy, lectures, workshops and group practices
- Individual areas for relaxation and relief
- Area for children whose parents participate in the workshops
Relevance of the project
78% of Ukrainians have family members or friends who have been injured or killed as a result of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine. This is according to a sociological survey by the Kyiv International Institute of Sociology.
According to a study by The Lancet, 93% of Ukrainians face at least one moderate or severe mental health problem. By comparison, only 20-27% of respondents had diagnosed mental health problems before the full-scale invasion.
In Ukraine, where the number of people in need of recovery is increasing every day, a therapeutic garden can become an essential part of the rehabilitation and post-rehabilitation infrastructure.
The target audiences of therapeutic gardens in Ukraine are:
- defenders of Ukraine who are undergoing rehabilitation after injuries;
- families of military personnel undergoing rehabilitation;
- families of prisoners of war and missing persons, as well as families of the deceased;
- children with disabilities and their parents;
- psychological support groups;
- the elderly;
- anyone in need of physical recovery and sensory relief.
Therapeutic gardens should be located near hospitals and rehabilitation centres and in urban public spaces.
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The concept of the Garden was developed by the Big City Lab team. To do this, we spent about six months researching how to create therapeutic gardens: we studied similar spaces worldwide and talked to experts from Europe and the United States.
We also involved
- psychologists and psychotherapists, art therapy specialists;
- hospital staff;
- public figures who help with the rehabilitation of the military personnel;
- volunteers who help defenders of Ukraine;
- botanists;
- landscape architects with experience creating therapeutic gardens in the EU and the UK.
Big City Lab designed the architectural component of the Garden in partnership with the architectural bureau PUPA.
During the development of the concept and after its completion, dozens of interviews and public presentations of the project were held for military personnel, veterans, and family members of current and deceased defenders. The concept received support and positive feedback from the target groups.
The pilot Garden will be built at the Expocenterof Ukraine as a starting point for many exemplary projects that will be subsequently scaled up across the country. A successfully implemented pilot can be replicated in other cities and communities of Ukraine so that more people can benefit from such therapeutic gardens.
At the Garden, specialists will work with military personnel, veterans and their families as part of specially created therapeutic programmes.
The specialists involved will include:
- occupational therapist
- physical therapist
- psychotherapist
- gardeners
- social cohesion specialist
At the same time, the Garden will be safe, accessible and open to everyone.
The Therapeutic Garden at the Expocenter of Ukraine is scheduled to open in August 2025.
The project is being implemented as part of the National Strategy for creating a barrier-free space in Ukraine at the initiative of the First Lady, Olena Zelenska.
The project is being implemented by
Ministry of Veterans Affairs of Ukraine: piloting the methodology and its implementation at the level of communities and veterans' centres
Advisor and Commissioner of the President of Ukraine on accessibility: coordination of experts in the development and implementation of the methodology
National Complex ‘Expocenter of Ukraine’: construction of the space and ensuring its working condition
Big City Lab urban bureau: development of a design project for space and services, taking into account the requirements of accessibility
National Association of Physical Therapists, Association of Occupational Therapists of Ukraine: expert support and project support
Medical institutions that are ready to join the pilot phase of the project: National Military Medical Clinical Centre ‘Main Military Clinical Hospital’, Feofaniya Clinical Hospital
