ARCHITECTURAL PSYCHOLOGY IN

SOCIO PSYCHOLOGICAL REHABILITATION CENTER

-DEEPA DEVA DHARSNI.V.S

M.ARCH
ABSTRACT
ARCHITECTURAL PSYCHOLOGY
• Architecture is a ‘built environment’ and Psychology is an ‘individual
experience of the physical environment’.

• Hence, architectural psychology is a study based on the interaction of

people with the spaces and interrelationship between humans and their
surroundings.

• This tool examines the effects of built-in cognitive, behavioral, tangible,

intangible, and affective layers on human experiences.

• The architectural psychology was also used by David Canter and Terence
Lee in 1973 in the book Architectural Psychology.
REHABILITATION

• Rehabilitation is the action of restoring someone to health through training

and therapy after imprisonment, addictions, injury, and illness.

• It is a facilitative process designed to enhance the ability of people whose

difficulties exclude them or leads society to exclude them from
participating in aspects of life in the mainstream and in everyday activities
which are congruent with their aspirations.

Source: Psychology of Architecture

ARCHITECTURAL PSYCHOLOGY IN REHABILITATION
• The architecture of rehabilitation environments is typically “expert” driven, with little regard for the perceptions of service users,
particularly patients and informal caregivers.
• Hence there is a need to partake with service users to gain their additional insight into what design elements are required to
facilitate optimal physical activity, human engagement, and psychological reactions when attempting to overcome the
drawbacks and regain function.
AIM:
To explore how architecture of a space can create a healing environment and speed recovery, developing a relationship between the
human psychology and architecture of a rehabilitation space.

OBJECTIVES:
• To understand the needs and the requirements of the user regarding their physical,psychological social requirements.
• To identify the architectural factors which effect on rehabilitation process of the users.
• To identify the relation between rehabilitation and reintegration process and built environment.
• To study and assess current architectural models of rehabilitation and how they have responded to these requirements through
analyzing pertinent precedent studies and case studies.

SCOPE:
• To understand the cognitive, affective, behavioural responses of human on Built Environment.
•To understand Spatial cognitions and its impact in both architecture and psychology.
•To understand architecture and physical environments play a major role in designing rehabilitation centers.
•To understand how major mechanism of structural design influences in rehabilitation centers.
METHODOLOGY
RESEARCH QUESTIONS:

• What is the impact of architecture, spaces in human behavior ?

• How and what are the architectural attirubtes will effect in rehabilitation process?

LIMITATIONS:

• The scope of the study is limited to the problems of stress, depressive disorders, anxiety disorders, and

trauma related disorders, dementia, Alzheimer.

Architectural psychology in rehabilitation centers work at
three levels of analysis:
(a) fundamental psychological processes like perception of the environment,
spatial cognition, and personality as they filter and structure human
experience and behavior,
(b) the management of social space: personal space, territoriality, crowding,
and privacy, and
the physical setting aspects of complex everyday behaviors, such as working,
learning,
Living , healing in rehabilitation centers.
(c) human interactions with nature and the role of psychology in climate
change
SPATIAL COGNITION:
• Spatial cognition concerns the study of knowledge and beliefs about
spatial properties of objects and events in the world. Cognition is about
knowledge.
• Spatial properties include location, size, distance, direction, separation and
connection, shape, pattern, and movement.
• In rehabilitation spatial perception is used for wayfinding,circulation,
Some major mechanism of structural design which affects human psyche are:
• building form, positive and negative space, colour, opening, open space,
lighting, acoustics, sound construction, green technique, and landscape.
• Spatial knowledge of our environment is an essential component of
wellbeing, stress-free living and working.
Source: Spatial Perception and Architecture
MANAGEMENT OF SOCIAL SPACES:
People use the physical space among them according to their preferences.
Although preferences are not always conscious, their importance suddenly
becomes clear when they are compromised.
Personal space, territoriality, and crowding are the main dimensions of social
space.
To understand about how space and its influences on human behaviour we
have to study about proxemics.
It is the study of human use of space and the effects that population density
has on behaviour, communication, and social interaction .It is a vitally
important factor in human interaction.
Spatial Perception and Architecture
HUMAN INTERACTIONS WITH NATURE:
Human interaction with nature are also an important factor in architectural
psychology.
Theramal comfort, climate change, Environmental stimuli are the main areas
to be noted.
Environmental stimuli are things that happen in the environment that elicit a
response or reaction from a person.
Temperature, humidity,comfort, adaptability are physical where as color,
brightness, size, and shapes as a visual dimension that impact the users.

Source: Proxemics and Nonverbal Communication in EMDR

Therapy
Types of Rehabilitation:
• social rehabilitation is a system of forms, methods and means of recovery
by an individual of lost or not acquired in the process of socialization
functions, relations and roles of social functioning
• professional - rehabilitation for employment opportunities;
• medical rehabilitation is a set of measures aimed at the maximum
possible restoration of the patient's lost abilities after various diseases
• physical culture and health - adapted sports;

• socio-psychological rehabilitation is a system of

measures aimed at restoring, correcting or compensating
for disorders of mental functions, conditions;
• personal and social-labor status of patients, the disabled, as well as
persons who have suffered diseases, who received mental trauma as a
result of a sharp change in social relations and living conditions.
By profile:
•orthopedic profile
•rehabilitation of the disabled
•neurological, orthopedic diseases, congenital genetic pathologies
•rehabilitation of servicemen
•Rehabilitation for drug, abuse
•rehabilitation of children, etc.
HOW ARCHITECTURE HELPS IN HEALING STRESS, DEPRESSION
AND ANXIETY?
Direct effect
PRIVACY:
• Privacy is a very vital element for the people suffering from depression, they
like their own space, this also reduces quarrels and conflicts, there is more
social space for friends and family.
• Personal room and by by maintaing proxemics.
• Also there should also be visual and acoustic privacy.
FORM/SHAPE OF ROOM:
• Right angle is a key feature in our built environment, this rectilinearity makes
a person feel constrained.
• As nature is non-rectilinear, so the form/shape of the room or living space
should also be organic.
SIZE OF THE ROOM:
• Size of room affects our mental health.
• For instances, bigger the size of the room more the feeling of discomfort
and less social interaction.
• If the size of the room will be very small then there also will be discomfort
maybe because it is overcrowded, because of such space the social
interaction will also be very less.
• Thus size of the room should be made accordingly otherwise will create a
feeling of discomfort.

Source :Inpatient Rehabilitation Healthcare Design

LIGHTING:
• Natural light has a very significant role in physical and mental well-being
of a person.
• A depressed person is kept in brighter and natural light the person tends to
recover faster than the other person who is put in light of lower intensities,
poor lighting also has certain problems like fatigue, vision problems and
poor concentration.
• It is done through windows, courtyards, Atriums etc.
COLORS:
• Green – Quiet and restful, green is a soothing color that can invite harmony and
diffuse anxiety.
• Blue – A highly peaceful color, blue can be especially helpful for stress
management because it can encourage a powerful sense of calm.
MATERIAL:
• Material used in the space for patients affects the mental health very much.
• Natural material like wood has contributed in healing than usage of material
like chrome and steel.
LANDSCAPE AND OUTDOORS:
• Good view of landscape and outdoors affects the mental health of a
depressed person positively.
• View of green and luscious landscape has resulted in speedy healing,
performance and functioning of depressed people

Source:Inpatient Rehabilitation Healthcare Design

USERS
Rehabilitation Center has limited user and clients they are
a) Psychological Staffs
b) Counseling Staffs,
c) Medical staffs
d) In Patients
e) Out Patients
f) Visitors
g) Administration Staffs
h) Facility management staffs.
Patients:
• The rehabilitation center will be an outpatient/inpatient facility with medical and
psychological services provided to adapt to a patient’s specific needs.
• Outpatients services are mostly during the work days who will just visit and not stay in
the centers. Inpatients are assessed to have more severe medical needs and care
have the option of a standard stay of 30 days or 60 to 90 days based on medical
needs.
• Both in and out patients have weekend group counseling and lectures.
Companions or family:
• During treatment, the doctor may need to inform the family about the diagnosis and
treatment methods as they are part of the treatment. In some cases, the patient may
need to be accompanied by relatives during the treatment period. In addition, there
might receive visits to inpatients by family or friends.
Therapists and trainers:
• They are Doctors, psychologists, specialists, psychiatrists and trainers, as well as nurses
who diagnose and provide appropriate treatment.
Staff
• There will me many non medical staffs in rehabilitation centers like admin, service,
house keeping etc.
LITERATURE CASE STUDY
Rehabilitation Center Groot Klimmendal,
Netherlands
• The Rehabilitation Centre Groot Klimmendaal is for children,
adolescents and adults who have had an illness or accident.
• It is designed by the The Dutch Architect Koen van Velsen in
2010.

Children’s Center for Psychiatric

Rehabilitation ,Japan
• Children’s Center is the treatment center for mentally disturbed
children where they live together to get regaining their mental
health.
• It is design by Sou Fujimoto Architects in 2010.

Alpha Healing Center,Gujarat

• Alpha Healing center is for individuals struggling with alcohol,
drug, and other addictions.
• The entire concept is based on the notion of nature as a
healing partner by maximising this therapeutic effect, a
connection is established between the patient and the
natural environment.
• It is designed by the Architect Dharmesh Patel in 2017.
LIVE CASE STUDY
Muktangam Rehab Center, Pune.
• Muktangam rehab center is a drug rehabilitation center in
Maharashtra.
• It also has a variety of land use around it, which doesn't
completely isolate itself from the city.
• It has a good amount of open space inside the vicinity of
the center.
• It is designed by the Architect Shriish Beri in the year
1986.
MITHRA,CHENNAI
• Mithra is a rehabilitation center for childrens afflicted with
disabling conditions like cerebral palsy, mental
retardation,autism, downs syndrome and multiple disabilities.

Abhasa, Coimbatore.
• Abhasa rehabilitation center focuses on the recovery from
any form of addiction and mental health disorders
• It is situated in the Western Ghats, the greenery, climate
and the pollution-free environment add as a major factor
contributing to healing and recovery.
LIST OF REFERENCES:
The important part of literature review is to be done mainly from the books and journals from the
below,
• Architectural Psychology by Janetius S.T gives an introduction about architectural psychology.
• Chapter 1.Architectural psychology
• Chapter 6 Environmental psychology and hosuing design
• Environmental and Architectural Psychology by Ian Donald helps to understand the relationship
between people and their natural and built environment.
• Chapter 1. Introduction and Brief History of Environmental and Architectural Psychology
• Chapter 2. Place, Place Identity, and Place Attachment
• Chapter 3. Spatial Behaviour: Crowding, Privacy, Personal Space, and Territoriality
• Chapter 6. Therapeutic, Supportive, and Restorative Environments
• Compendium of Architectural Psychology by Antej Flade provides planning-relevant information on
architectural psychology concepts, research methods and empirical results on the effects of built
environments on people, and provides guidance on how to optimize the relationship between
people and the built environment.
• Architectural psychological concepts- Page 9-38
• Methods to architectural research- Page 45-50
• Environmental Psychology: Principles and Practice by Robert Gifford coveres fundamental
processes such as environmental perception and spatial cognition, social-environmental
processes such as privacy and crowding, setting-oriented of people and built
environment.
• Enabling Environments by Julia W. Robinson and Travis Thompson helps in Measuring the
Impact of Environment on Disability and Rehabilitation
• PAGE NO 252-266
• What is Architectural Psychology? By Alexander Abel is a research paper which deals with
psychological findings affect the perception and appropriation of architectural spaces and
their sensual and attentive impact on human well-being.
• THE AFFECT OF ARCHITECTURE by Tayebeh Moradiezatpanah gives us an understanding
about human,nature,healing spaces and wellbeing.
• Anthropology of space will helps us to understand about how humans recogonise space ,
landscape, physical environment.
REFERENCES:
• Janetius S.T (2016).Architectural Psychology. Mishil & Js Publishers.
• Antej Flade (2020). Compendium of Architectural Psychology. Springer Fachmein.
• Robert Gifford(2013). Environmental Psychology: Principles and Practice. Optimal Books
Publishers.
• Gary W. Evans and Janetta Mitchell McCoy (1998). When buildings don't work: The role of
architecture in human health. Cornel University, Ithaca U.S.A.
• Annie Pollock and Liz Fuggle (2013). Designing for dementia: creating a therapeutic
environment. Research gate.
• Esther M. Sternberg (2009). Healing spaces: The science of place and well-being. The
belknap press of Harvard University press, London England.
• Sarah Beth Basinger (2011). Spatial Parameters in Therapeutic Spaces: Design of a
Residential Treatment Facility for Psychartic Patients. Virginia Commonwealth University.
• Brian Schaller (2012). Architectural Healing Environments. School architecture disserations
and thesis, Syracuse University.