Traditionally, design has primarily been focused on performance budget and aesthetics, and aspects such as health, wellness, and human experience have become secondary. An expression of the designer’s vision into physical space that has often left the effects of their creations on the user overlooked. The functionality of spaces has reduced architecture, something people simply use and occupy. The impact of the spaces we design should not only be derived from the visuals that drive architecture but rather the emotional impact modern design often leaves more to be desired for something we can’t touch but feel to improve our well-being.
Designing with Introspections and Mediation.
The common perception is that designers know what the users, which to some extent might be true but not completely, this creates assumptions and so the user’s perspectives or seeing the world through their eyes is often overlooked. Trying to put oneself in the eyes and minds of patients for example can give us insights into how others perceive space enabling us to create spaces where they feel that they belong rather than simply occupy. To understand, help, and improve the emotional well-being of patients, for example, perspectives and feedback are crucial but also that of the doctors and nurses who spend a lot of time with the patients but also move through these spaces daily are overlooked or sometimes prioritized. A constant design negotiation between designing for the efficiency of the medical team and prioritizing patients’ well-being is an issue worth contemplating.
A non-linear approach is therefore necessary in understanding people’s challenges and situations. Instead of exclusively applying a Bottom-up approach which is people-centered, democratic, and involves the community, or a Top-down approach which is managed and orderly, hierarchical in nature, and has government regulation, a middle ground of seamless integration of both methods should be taken to capture the strengths of both.
A Conscious Blend of Psychological Analysis and Restorative Design.
To truly create emotional well-being, we have to understand what goes on in our brains to predict how spaces impact life. This is through psychology, particularly environmental psychology. This subset of psychology answers the issue of how we can shape spaces better based on what we know and learn about human needs and habits by analyzing our behaviors through our experience with space. It explains how everyday spaces such as housing, workspaces, and cities shape us and how they impact our psychology, behaviors, and well-being.
Restorative design is about creating environments that restore or renew physical, mental and emotional well-being, they are not items on a checklist but are what make the space truly inhabitable. The key principles lie in connection with nature, having psychological safety with predictable spaces and manageable environments, the use of materials and textures that regulate or enhance the senses, creating deeper connections with the integration of cultural elements, and lastly, socially supportive environments that create opportunity for positive social interactions. True satisfaction is created by understanding people’s motivations across different localities through culture where the emphasis is placed on creating a relatable experience that is relatable and that people have a strong connection to can go a long way in creating psychological comfort in the users. Based on customs and routines, it builds trust by embracing and creating familiarity with authenticity in expression. This cultural sensitivity creates spaces that feel seen or represented.
Case Study; Maggie’s Center, Manchester.
The Maggie’s Centre is not just a home, a medical facility, or a healing center but a seamless and careful blend of all. The well-crafted sanctuary is created for cancer patients, a refuge that embraces and accepts them while offering social and emotional support. The place provides holistic healing and rejuvenation for visitors having a welcoming domestic feel, creating a sense of belonging, and offering psychological safety. By improving the quality of life and providing emotional support, it is reported that the visitors feel better able to cope with their situation and improve family relationships.
With spaces intentionally designed to feel like a home rather than a medical facility, the place offers a comfortable environment that enables visitors to report reduced stress levels. This is achieved through a connection to nature highlighted by the abundant natural light, the use of natural materials with biophilic elements indoors, and direct garden access, which led to the reported reduction in anxiety medication usage among regular visitors. The use of no corridors made the space feel less like an institution, and having clear sightlines allowed people not to get lost. The Center addresses and highlights the effects of institutional design and how an emphasis on emotional needs can reshape these kinds of spaces that improve the well-being of individuals but also offer a place where these people can have social interactions and have a community that embraces rather than isolates them.
Overall emotional well-being in architecture is not only reserved for particular users but also designers of the space as we all desire spaces that inspire and improve our well-being. With this designers need to be it’s about being empathetic in our design approach to create spaces that not only benefit the user but that we would also be proud of if we were in the user’s situation whether it is for patients with a given illness or a normal individual negotiating their work-life balance our emotional well-being can make or break us. Using research-based psychology, changing our design approaches to fit different scenarios, and incorporating cultural elements we can resurrect this forgotten dimension of design and create places that make us better holistically.
References:
CreativeMornings HQ (2015). Richard Murphy: Empathy in Architecture. [online] YouTube. Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7es4XRSh4kQ [Accessed 2 Jan. 2025].
Delgado, M. (2019). The Psychology Of Space or Empathy and Architecture. YouTube. Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=12NwOi0VCeg [Accessed 16 Aug. 2022].
Maggie’s (2020). Maggie’s – everyone’s home of cancer care. [online] Maggie’s Centres. Available at: https://www.maggies.org/.
Pakhuis de Zwijger (2021). Media Architecture Biennale #3: Designing Restorative Environments: Moving Beyond COVID-19. [online] YouTube. Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f_5cBsRl_Ns [Accessed 2 Jan. 2025].
US Green Building Council – California (2020). Building a Compassionate Community: Empathy As A Core Principle of Design Practice | MGBCE 2020. [online] YouTube. Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4tmMtfjhRR0 [Accessed 2 Jan. 2025].
www.fosterandpartners.com. (n.d.). Foster + Partners. [online] Available at: https://www.fosterandpartners.com/projects/maggie-s-manchester.
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Browning, W.D., Ryan, C.O. & Clancy, J.O. 2014, ’14 Patterns of Biophilic Design’, Terrapin Bright Green LLC, New York.
