Culturally Embedded Healing Architecture and Body–Mind Well-Being in Healthcare Spaces: A Mixed-Methods Multi-Case Study

Objective: This study examined how culturally embedded architectural features in healthcare spaces influence patients’ body–mind well-being.

Methods and Materials: This mixed-methods multi-case study was conducted in three healthcare facilities that intentionally incorporated local cultural symbols, narratives, materials, rituals, and spatial practices into their design. Data were collected through spatial analysis, field observations, document review, semi-structured interviews, and brief questionnaires. Participants included 64 patients, 37 family members, and 32 healthcare staff; questionnaires were completed by 71 patients and 29 family members. Qualitative data were analyzed using reflexive thematic analysis, while questionnaire data were analyzed descriptively.

Findings: Three major dimensions explained the impact of culturally embedded healthcare spaces on body–mind well-being. First, sense of recognition and dignity was strengthened through local language, familiar symbols, culturally meaningful materials, protected sightlines, and family-inclusive spaces. Second, embodied comfort emerged when spatial arrangements supported culturally learned bodily habits, including sitting, washing, praying, moving, resting, and receiving family assistance. Third, collective meaning-making was supported by prayer rooms, courtyards, shared domestic spaces, gardens, local art, and communal rituals. Cross-case comparison showed that facilities integrating culture into core spatial organization, rather than using it as decoration, produced richer reports of comfort, dignity, trust, reduced anxiety, and social connection.

Conclusion: Healing architecture functions as a cultural practice that shapes how patients experience vulnerability, care, illness, and recovery. Healthcare design should treat local cultural repertoires as essential resources for holistic body–mind healing.