Project Phase

CONTENTS : STAGE 1

1. Wellness or Wellbeing?

2. Institutional Moment

3. Exploring Affordance

4. Atmosphere Inclusivity

SUMMARIZE STAGE 2

1. About the Project

2. Programming, Site, and Stakeholder

3. Design

4. Reflection

24Definition of wellness by The Global Wellness Institute, https:// globalwellnessinstitute.org/whatis-wellness/

25Definition of wellbeing by World Health Organisation, https:// www.who.int/data/gho/data/major-themes/health-and-well-being

26Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Wellbeing Concept, https://www.cdc.gov/hrqol/wellbeing.htm

27Grigoriou, Elina., and Richard. Francis. Wellbeing in Interiors : Philosophy, Design and Value in Practice. Milton: RIBA Publications, 2019 XII-XIII.

1. Wellness or Wellbeing?

This project aimed to understand the concept of wellness and wellbeing through literature studies and case studies of building / physical environment. It aimed to unveil what’s the need for designer to create a spatial design that can support these concept.

The project analysed the collective definition of wellness and wellbeing from many perspectives. It gathered definition from health-focused point of view, development studies, and also from designer/practitioner. This shaped the foundation thinking to select and analyse the case studies.

The method to understand the general knowledge about wellness and wellbeing helby by study literature. Then, it could define the elements of wellness and wellbeing that can be supported by physical environment. These elements became the variable to be analysed on each study case.

The Global Wellness Institute defined wellness as an active process to pursuit a health existence24 and the World Health Organisation stated that health is not merely the absence of sickness but also a state of physical, mental, and social well-being25. Wellness is an conscious attempt to pursuit health, and this will also help the wellbeing state. Wellbeing is a holistic concept of life satisfaction and happiness. Well-being integrates mental health (mind) and physical health (body) resulting in more holistic approaches also to disease prevention and health promotion26. However, it different to the designer perspective, the wellbeing concept was being approached as the beauty experience27.

The elements of wellbeing consist of the presence of positive emotions and moods (e.g., contentment, happiness), the absence of negative emotions (e.g., depression, anxiety), satisfaction with life and fulfilment. Wellbeing is an accumulation of individual body, the relationship within the surrounding, and it also deal within a huge time frame.

For instance, certain memories of past experience can also be a part of the happening of wellbeing. This also bring the Maslow diagram of need into the discussion. As wellbeing can span the fulfilment need from the lowest to highest level whilst wellness occurs on two levels of basic needs (safety and physiological needs). The wellness happens consciously and focuses more on individual body, to be in a good condition both mental and physical. Therefore, I think wellness and wellbeing are unseparated and wellbeing is a broad outcome to wellness.

Even though the happening of wellness and wellbeing are unseparated, the project tried to generated the main aim whether wellness or wellbeing. It was also analysed the designer strategy wto support the goal.

I learned that wellbeing and wellness are broad concepts. It consists of many aspect of economic stability, life fulfilment, and social engagement. However, through studying the several cases, a physical environment able to support the happening of wellness and wellbeing for the occupants. I identified that a built environment have specific program and function to support wellness and wellbeing and also have specific targeted user.

This led to a question about how actually a building can effect on people wellness and wellbeing? There are two factors I generated from the case studies the function of building and the interaction between building with the user. A clinical function of building can’t run by itself. The building run as an institution to operate the program and maintaining the function. The relationship between the physical element and the user are the main aspect to support the happening of wellness and wellbeing. Therefore, the next project needs to discover more about institutional and the user experience to it.

Image : An intense green ambiance in the a powder room, photo courtesy of Smac Studio from Dwell Magazine. I think, a little perception of wellness and wellbeing might be captured in the least expectant space like a powder room in an institutional space.