The site is notably known for its imposing lot size amidst the small commercial outlets

that surround it. It can be understood that with the existence of a grand shopping
mall to its north, traffic congestion and noise problems and bound to arise. Heat gain
from the thermal radiation is a possible occurrence with respect to the direction the
where the sun rises at its peak during the day. There lies the challenge of designing a
conducive and comfortable environment without having the need to visually add
every form of barrier to combat the aforementioned problems, be it the noise, the
traffic congestion, the unwanted heat gain and social problems associated with the
nature this institution is committed to answer for.

Address
Claveria St., Poblacion
District, Davao City, Davao
del sur, Philippines, 8000

Scope
◦ Area: 19,352.654 SQ.M.
Multi-story facility buildings

◦ Landscaping: minimal
vegetation, low
maintenance.
Figure 1.1: The Site and the site within its community.
(source: https://goo.gl/maps/igQEeSQqciT2

In response to the evaluation of problems that exist within the site and its
external environment, the team has decided to consider the needs of the
patients first which is the provision of immediate therapeutic help through a
built environment that rejects the integration of confining spaces that make
the overall experience hostile towards the patient. Secondary to this, the
designers have all agreed to reject the idea of shutting out the facility from its
environment by means of high fencing and heavy vegetation to compensate
for sense of “security” being felt by the general public in lieu of the patients’
comfort and expense. Moreover, the conceptual “lotus” approach to the
layout the of the spaces within the facility buildings enables the abolishment
of practice of designing “rigid” design that tends to instill discomfort and
alienation amongst the patients. The lotus also supports the guiding idea that
the proposed facility will assist the patients in their journey towards their much-
anticipated full recovery. It is also within the design team’s interest that the
proposed structure will exude a feeling of comfort and homeliness rather than
repulsion towards the amount of transparency and visual acuity the design
team is planning to introduce to the general public in their current viewpoint.
 Strength Weakness Opportunity Threat
There is an Due to the The openness of An ideal design
unprecedented existence of a the site brings the solution may entail
advantage to the large shopping opportunity to the need to modify
fact that the site mall and the busy maximize the the existing on-site
is quite hum of urban life advantage of elements such as
accessible thriving on the creating a vista. the vegetations
enough to allow main highway, and utilities in
the patients and noise is an The site’s large order to make way
even emergency expected to come area enables it to for a more
responders to about at any given allow more functional
reach it without point. possible design structure.
any delay. solutions as there
There lies a far is much ground The reception of
A large amount even greater area to work on. the proposed
of walk area challenge to open design solutions
benefits up the site to the This is a great may coax out
pedestrians in public as it faces a opportunity to mixed emotions
terms of connecting advertise the need from the general
accessibility. element: the to normalize the public as they are
highway road. erection of mental still bound to the
Reaching the site health facilities notion that people
will not be an The existence of within plain sight with mental health
arduous activity the low thus eliminating problems are a
since there is a commercial the possibility of threat to the
great ease of buildings that flank disassociation of general public’s
acquiring a around the site the patients from “well-being” which
transportation makes heat gain the society. then results to the
medium that will an arguably patients being
suit the expected outcome shunned away
pedestrians’ that needs to be further.
needs. countered.

Table 1.1: SWOT Analyis

• To aid in a swifter recovery by eradicating the confining-like approach

to designing a mental health facility.
• To enable the structure to become a catalytic trigger that will impose
the awareness and need to put up more mental health facilities in every
thriving community as much as possible.
• To connect the institution with its community once again by making the
nearby and inhabitants within the locality to normalize the need to address
mental health issues without the need to pass judgement on the patients.
• To reach the general public by improving the accessibility to the facility
through the provision of high visual acuity from the external environment.
Figure 2.1 and 2.2: Mental health clinic building space programming bubble diagram (left)
and substance abuse building space programming bubble diagram (right).

Figure 2.3: Psychosocial rehabilitation and recovery building space

programming bubble diagram.