Date of Submission
Spring 5-11-2026
Degree Type
Dissertation/Thesis
Degree Name
Bachelor of Architecture
Department
Architecture
Committee Chair/First Advisor
Robin Puttock
Abstract
Bipolar disorder is often misunderstood, and its complex sensory and emotional needs are rarely considered in architectural design. Although research demonstrates that the built environment significantly affects stress, regulation, and healing, these insights are seldom applied to spaces dedicated to mental health awareness. This thesis investigates how architectural thresholds within a mental health awareness museum in Harris County, Texas, can bridge the gap between spaces of experience and spaces of care.
Reframing thresholds as therapeutic elements, the study draws on trauma theory to examine how transitions between openness and enclosure, stimulation and pause, and exposure and protection can spatially express psychological shifts associated with bipolar disorder (Herman, 1992). Through the careful orchestration of light, materiality, acoustics, and spatial rhythm, the project translates emotional variability into an immersive architectural experience that fosters empathy, reflection, and mental health awareness.
Using qualitative and phenomenological methods, including precedent analysis, spatial mapping, and diagrammatic studies, the research develops design strategies that emphasize regulation rather than spectacle. The proposed design positions architecture as an active participant in mental health advocacy, demonstrating how thresholds can function as a language for care, understanding, and collective awareness.