Date of Submission
Spring 5-9-2023
Degree Type
Undergraduate Thesis
Degree Name
Bachelor of Architecture
Department
Architecture
Committee Chair/First Advisor
JadeYang
Abstract
Environmental stressors and psychological torments make going about daily life unbearable to handle for many within the United States. The attention and concern for mental health continues to rise, but there is a larger need for resources and infrastructure to give action to conversation. To address the residual statistics of anxiety and mood disorders from COVID-19, this project will offer an architecture which enables the healing process to begin and extend beyond the tangible limits of space. Mental health facilities can provide that environment. This facility will offer an environment of community specifically for those who deal with anxiety and mood disorders and cater to their needs while being sensitive to the needs of their senses within space. Its’ programmatic aim is to be an inpatient care center to provide medical and professional help and care while curating an environment of wholistic health and well-being. It is a challenge to reinvent what we know to be a medically safe space. Design based on the concepts of Kengo Kuma connects the material world of architecture to the conscious world of mental health to curate an atmosphere of connection and wellness. More specifically, a facility designed within the parameters of de-materialization and architecture as an anti-object can present a structure which unifies nature and the needs of an inhabitable space to offer an experience of balance, wellness, and safety.