LAYOUT:

The layout of a rehabilitative centre forming around a central ‘heart’ would bring people together to socialise and promote positive communal feelings.  As supported by Staff Nurse Evelyn Campbell (2015, pers. comm., 22 December) “it is paramount that individuals do not feel isolated in communities”. By having large areas for people to gather and share experiences, therapeutic environments can be obtained. Nevertheless, as Staff Nurse George Kingsley (2015, pers. comm., 10 November) outlines, “'recovery is individual, some people want to be isolated and are not interested in the social type of support offered”, in which case of course privacy and intimacy is essential similarly.  

DOMESTICITY:

Using a domestic approach for rehabilitative design would reduce feeling of institutionalisation and isolation. Domestic design would also bridge the gap between hospitalisation and future independence once integrated back into society. By focusing on connectivity of the building to the exterior society, people would continue to feel linked with the surrounding community during recovery, as demonstrated with the continuum of the street concept in the Harbour Hospital whereby patients are connected with the community by the idea of an extended street.

 

AESTHETICS:

Visual and physical materiality would enhance a rehabilitative space by engaging and comforting users. Consistency of materials and texture throughout space could also provide a calm, relaxing atmosphere, as opposed to the aesthetics at Start, which arouses chaos due to disorder. Carefully considered materials such as the use of timber in The House of Psychiatrics, could also instil tranquillity.

LIGHT:

A well-lit space integrating lots of natural light and external views would create a peaceful, therapeutic space. This integration would create the sense of being connected with the outside world, again emphasising inclusion with society and eliminating feelings of solitude. Light would also give a sense of optimism in dark places where hope is absent. The results of the investigation into light processing healing qualities (Beauchemin and Hays 1996) would also heavily influence design.

HOWEVER:

However, this research has highlighted that colour is not as significant in respect to emotional response and therefore would not influence design as much as other factors explored. Nevertheless, although we do not all respond coherently to colour triggers due to cultural and social backgrounds, one can agree that colours can be optimistic and cheerful in otherwise dull and dingy spaces.