Stressed-Out

by DAAP | School of Architecture and Interior Design - Graduate School

Relaxing & Reversing Social Stigmas Surrounding OCD + PTSD in Architecture

By Joe Metzger

In the 1930s, mental health institutions were known as insane asylums. They were constructed in rural settings, providing what researchers thought were peace, quiet, and seclusion. What people know now is that these asylums were isolating, pushing misunderstood people, characterized as “crazies” or “nut cases,” to hard-to-ﬁnd places and out of the public eye.

Today behavioral health institutions are located outside of the city center. This locates healthcare facilities where only a speciﬁc population or income level can access these services, fragmenting the city. This form of isolation is the problem. In addition, there is a stigma surrounding mental health and a negative impression of healthcare facilities associated with them.

This study examines architecture’s role in human behavior and, more speciﬁcally, mental health. Due in part to the COVID-19 pandemic, people are beginning to place more importance on mental health and stability.

This project seeks to utilize this momentum to provide people who live with Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD) and Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) with adequate resources to help themselves, especially within city centers. Architects need to consider utilizing strategies such as:

1. Controlling stimuli

2. Using biophilic design and natural materials

3. Replenishing Resources Diminished by Stress

4. Utilizing passive energy sources

This study demonstrates how architecture can positively a ect mental health. This study also provides evidence to support using a mixed-use typology within the Findlay Market area in Cincinnati, Ohio, to give urban dwellers respite and independent healthcare options. The study further utilizes architecture to juxtapose the current typology and its surrounding context.