What does this research mean for the field?

Existing research on indoor-outdoor connections in care buildings predominantly focuses on visual and physical links via windows, pathways, and doorways, highlighting the need for a unifying concept termed the 'indoor-outdoor nexus' to consolidate scattered literature. Novelty: ClaimNovelty.SYNTHESIS. Consensus alignment: ConsensusAlignment.NEUTRAL.

What question did this study set out to answer?

To evaluate how different connections between indoor and outdoor environments in care buildings influence end-user experiences and spatial usage.

August 16, 2026HERD Health Environments Research & Design Journal

From Inside to Outside: A Scoping Review of Connections in Care Buildings and Their Impact on End-Users’ Experiences

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Authors

CWCézanne WatthyUniversity of Antwerp EVEls De VosUniversity of Antwerp MAMargo AnnemansUniversity of Antwerp

Discussion

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Overview

Scoping review reveals prominent visual and physical links between indoor and outdoor spaces in care buildings, highlighting the need for a unified architectural framework.

Key Points

To evaluate how different connections between indoor and outdoor environments in care buildings influence end-user experiences and spatial usage.
Conducted a systematic search across six databases using a predefined population, concept, and context framework, yielding 34 included studies.
Applied two-phase data synthesis comprising initial inductive coding followed by thematic analysis to construct descriptive themes.
Visual and physical links to outdoor areas were the most commonly reported connections, while auditory, sociospatial, and outside-to-inside links were rarely documented.
Built environment characteristics concentrated primarily on windows, pathways, and doors, with intermediate transitional spaces receiving limited attention.
Proposed the term 'indoor-outdoor nexus' to serve as a unified umbrella concept for interdisciplinary care facility design research.

Cite This Study

Watthy et al. (2026) studied this question.

synapsesocial.com/papers/6a81799af2fb91fc834acd80 https://doi.org/10.1177/19375867261474208

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August 16, 2026HERD Health Environments Research & Design Journal

From Inside to Outside: A Scoping Review of Connections in Care Buildings and Their Impact on End-Users’ Experiences

View Full Paper

Ask AI

Bookmark

Authors

CWCézanne WatthyUniversity of Antwerp EVEls De VosUniversity of Antwerp MAMargo AnnemansUniversity of Antwerp

Discussion

Member takes

Overview

Scoping review reveals prominent visual and physical links between indoor and outdoor spaces in care buildings, highlighting the need for a unified architectural framework.

Key Points

To evaluate how different connections between indoor and outdoor environments in care buildings influence end-user experiences and spatial usage.
Conducted a systematic search across six databases using a predefined population, concept, and context framework, yielding 34 included studies.
Applied two-phase data synthesis comprising initial inductive coding followed by thematic analysis to construct descriptive themes.
Visual and physical links to outdoor areas were the most commonly reported connections, while auditory, sociospatial, and outside-to-inside links were rarely documented.
Built environment characteristics concentrated primarily on windows, pathways, and doors, with intermediate transitional spaces receiving limited attention.
Proposed the term 'indoor-outdoor nexus' to serve as a unified umbrella concept for interdisciplinary care facility design research.

Cite This Study

Watthy et al. (2026) studied this question.

synapsesocial.com/papers/6a81799af2fb91fc834acd80 https://doi.org/10.1177/19375867261474208

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