The Institutional Image and User Profile

The institutional space is a built environment and a public space that run by an organization. It has the power to rules and state the constraint. Therefore, there are many aspect to control the building function such as rule and regulation, procedure, order, and system. However, they must facilitate a lot of people with different background, culture, and different condition.

Due to this condition, institution relied a lot in their procedural system to control the activity inside their building. So that, the atmosphere of the space built to create the powerful and rigid image. These what usually made a lot of occupants felt uncomfortable as their freedom to do certain activity are being pressed. As example mentioned in the literature review, the boundedness of the waiting room made user felt unable to move or did anything else beside waiting and observing the clerk28.

These rigid spatial environment, usually run for a general user which is the majority. As mentioned before, a public space should be facilitate a diverse users with various background and condition. These made a lot of gap of service that unable cover the specific need for people beyond the majority or neglecting several services outside the main clinical services.

From the literature study, this diversity aspect should be emphasize in the service of institution. “Diversity is about what makes each of us unique and includes our backgrounds, personality, life experiences and beliefs, all of the things that make us who we are.”29 Diversity also attempt to recognize, respect and value differences between any gender, age, race, religion, and sexuality condition. The inclusivity happens If these people could feel respected and valued, celebrated the diversity. They won’t feel neglected, feel the supportive environment, and have the equal opportunity. These actually part of high level Maslow pyramid of need which can generate the wellbeing.

The positive experience happened in the institution can be taken as an achievement to the friendliness, approachable, and accessibility which mean the occupants rarely feel discriminate and feel valued/respected. These interactions, especially the negative ones, produce several strategies showing how users deal with the controlled situation (institution). It usually happened as the institution has the constraint and certainty to order people in their space.

In the designer’s view, this is an opportunity to create a mindful moment to increase interaction between people and places. However, should designer still facilitate this rigid institution system into the design for wellbeing? One contradictory to this, should designer create a space that support de-institutionalization? This will aim for building more positive experiences to the built environment.

Back to the definition of wellbeing as an experience30 . Designer needs to create to support the positive experience through the spatial element of a building. How physical element of building give affordance and able to attract people to create a mindful physical experience? This also related to the literature review about the key to a sensational experience is called atmosphere31.

28 David Bissel in Kearns, Neuwelt, and Eggleton, “Permeable boundaries?”

29Diversity and inclusion strategy 2019-2021. Victoria Government. https://www.vic.gov.au/ dpc-diversity-and-inclusion-strategy-2019-2021/victorian-government-commitment-diversity-and

30Grigoriou, Elina., and Richard. Francis. Wellbeing in Interiors : Philosophy, Design and Value in Practice. Milton: RIBA Publications, 2019 XII-XIII.

31Böhme, G. “Atmosphere as Mindful Physical Presence in Space”. Building atmosphere, OASE, (91), (2013), 21–32. Retrieved from https://www. oasejournal.nl/en/Issues/91/AtmosphereAsMindfulPhysicalPresenceInSpace