The perception of psychiatric illnesses and the need for better institutions has been prevalent since the dawn of the "asylum era", dating back to the 18th Century. Prior to this, treatment of the incarcerated was a barbaric and unjust...
moreThe perception of psychiatric illnesses and the need for better institutions has been prevalent since the dawn of the "asylum era", dating back to the 18th Century. Prior to this, treatment of the incarcerated was a barbaric and unjust exercise in human welfare. Facilities provided were often unsanitary, with dozens of people sharing dormitories; many sharing beds with up to four others, or held captive to the floor with shackles. Although the days where the common misconception was that 'a lunatic can be cured only in an institution' have generally passed over its six hundred year history, it is still widely considered that facilities offered by psychiatric hospitals and centres are a contributing factor in the treatment of patients with mental disorders.
From the early 'lunatic asylums' of Bethlem Hospital, to the 19th century investments in construction of healthcare buildings in England, addressing the need for psychiatric facilities has been a daunting task for both clinical practitioners and architects alike. Since the advent of the NHS in 1948, there have been calls for reform in public institutions; however, it wasn't until the late 1950s that a call for a new architecture was implemented by the World Health Organisation.
Through analysis of existing scholarship on asylum design theory from the eighteenth-century to the present day, and the creation of a therapeutic environment through the manipulation of space and its location, this thesis aspires to discuss the importance and need to develop a safe and healing environment in the creation of architecture for the mentally ill.
