ARCHITECTURE & DESIGN


therapeutic benefits of beauty. After all, neuro-aesthetic research has discovered that humans react to beauty in the same part of the brain that acts as the pleasure and reward centre. The advantages of seeing something lovely – rather than ugly – including nature, can have an extraordinary effect on the mind and senses, thereby affecting mood and the need for medication.


The Arcadis IBI team led the design of the Pears Maudsley Centre for Children & Young People in Denmark Hill, London – shown here in an aerial view with its roof terraces.


and the Healthcare Environment – a book written by Marco Maria Maiocchi and Zhabiz Shafieyoun published in 2022 – notes that by using emotional design to transform environments such as waiting rooms in ways that enhance patients’ wellbeing, and engender positive thoughts about their healing, medical institutions can improve outcomes for the people they treat, while simultaneously lowering overall costs. This design philosophy can lend itself well to mental healthcare facilities to achieve positive outcomes for people and the sector as a whole.


Maximising natural light and ventilation For the effective delivery of high-quality and modern mental health services, a non-institutional design can support the service-user’s journey to recovery, and create more relaxing, inspiring, and calming, spaces that are also safe. This involves maximising the flow of natural light and ventilation, a good mix of private and shared spaces, and exploiting the power of nature and landscape for recovery and rehabilitation. This latter point feeds into using biophilic design principles, and harnessing the power of greenery, linking to nature to change mood and feelings. Next, it is important to focus on texture, with softer touches and furnishings, and thoughtful use of colour to generate feelings of warmth and reassurance. Furniture and product design for


healthcare settings has tended to be anonymous and unattractive. While there has been some change – for instance, compared with 20 years ago, there are now specialist ligature reduction fixtures and fittings available in the market, making it easier to ensure that anything installed in a mental health environment adheres to the highest safety standards – if something looks cold and clinical, then that’s how it is likely to make people feel. We need to take a long-term view and approach to design through a mental health lens and, as designers, we can work more with specialist furniture suppliers, helping them to innovate their products and consider the aesthetic more.


A lack of privacy and a noisy environment Anecdotally, we have heard of patients finding some modern mental healthcare facilities ugly, boring, and stark, with a lack of privacy, high noise levels, and bright lighting – which all adds to a sense of incarceration rather than care. Looking back at the historical learning curve of architecture and product design in mental health (the original Bedlam building was described as ‘the palace beautiful’ in the 17th Century), there is the question of whether we are prioritising criteria such as safety and ease of cleaning over beauty in mental health buildings. While safety must of course remain a top consideration, there are ways to design healing environments that are ‘zero risk’ without overlooking the


Neuro-aesthetic research has discovered that humans react to beauty in the same part of the brain that acts as the pleasure and reward centre. The advantages of seeing something lovely – rather than ugly – including nature, can have an extraordinary effect on the mind and senses, thereby affecting mood and the need for medication


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Putting wellbeing at the heart of design The design of a mental health environment needs to be based on people’s lived experience, feelings, and wellbeing. To cite an example, the Arcadis IBI team led the design of the Pears Maudsley Centre for Children & Young People in Denmark Hill, London, which is set to open its doors this year. By way of context, an NHS Digital survey, Mental Health of Children and Young People in England 2022 – wave 3 follow-up to the 2017 survey, revealed that in 2022, 18% of children aged 7-16, and 22% of young people aged 17-24, were found to have a probable mental disorder, and these rates have been rising. Wider afield, it has been found that half of mental health conditions start by the age of 14 (according to the World Health Organization). Therefore, early intervention and care are crucial, as is ensuring that the right mental health facilities are available, with environments that make it easier for young people to speak more openly about their mental health. Some of the existing Victorian spaces


at The Maudsley no longer met the needs of contemporary healthcare practice, with narrow and complicated corridors, clinical and cramped waiting and consultation rooms, and harsh artificial lighting throughout the interior. The new Pears Maudsley Centre is a welcoming, open, green, and comforting environment that meets the specific and diverse physical, emotional, and mental health needs of young people.


‘Emotional mapping’ conducted Through extensive stakeholder engagement and research, Arcadis analysed the lived experiences of young people, and conducted ‘emotional mapping’ to gauge their feelings about healthcare environments, to result in a space that would have a positive effect on mental health, and support recovery and wellbeing. Some of the ‘takeaways’ include the fact that users with autism spectrum disorders were looking for a choice of spaces, and particularly quiet, open, and light-filled ones. Others wanted a building that is simple to navigate unsupervised, as well as external areas with ample greenery and space for games. Internally, they favoured natural light where possible, or dimmable lighting, a colour palette encompassing bright, as well as more reassuring, muted tones, and spaces that can cater to the interests and needs of varying age groups.


AUGUST 2023 | THE NETWORK


Arcadis IBI


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