Mental health disorders are increasing globally, and people are struggling with anxiety, stress, depression, and loneliness, with a particular impact on young adults aged 16 to 29 according to the World Health Organization (2022). Young adults are particularly vulnerable due to their ongoing development of cognitive, social, and emotional attributes, making them highly susceptible to environmental influences, the fact that mental health disorders presented in adulthood are established in young ages, and the pandemic-related restrictions amplified those issues. Despite this, many individuals go untreated, largely due to the underestimation of the disease, costs, and social stigma. This paper revisits the outcomes of a master's thesis in Architecture in order to investigate how the built environment can positively contribute to mental health and well-being in young adults from an architectural perspective. The focus is on building care in the community and reshaping the built environment to encourage healthier choices over less healthy alternatives. The study examines the relationship between architecture and mental well-being through a holistic view of mental health, and build a design proposal tailored to the specific target group in a specific site, based on evidence from research and best practice, survey, interviews, site and context analysis. The result is a new urban place embedded within the context of a former industrial harbor under urban regeneration. The architecture here interprets a boundary place, between land and water, as part of a new urban quality designed as open spaces and therapeutic gardens in relation to the city's landscape. The hub offers medical care, research unit, mental health promotion and aims to reactivate the site by fostering new relationships and setting the stage for meaningful activities and social interaction. The new urban space acts as a system link that frames the existing facilities, like the motion hall, a café, and a brewery, and makes them accessible.
Healing before. Promoting the mental well-being of young adults in the urban redevelopment of a fringe area in Gothenburg.
Kadriu, K.;Vanore, M.
2024-01-01
Abstract
Mental health disorders are increasing globally, and people are struggling with anxiety, stress, depression, and loneliness, with a particular impact on young adults aged 16 to 29 according to the World Health Organization (2022). Young adults are particularly vulnerable due to their ongoing development of cognitive, social, and emotional attributes, making them highly susceptible to environmental influences, the fact that mental health disorders presented in adulthood are established in young ages, and the pandemic-related restrictions amplified those issues. Despite this, many individuals go untreated, largely due to the underestimation of the disease, costs, and social stigma. This paper revisits the outcomes of a master's thesis in Architecture in order to investigate how the built environment can positively contribute to mental health and well-being in young adults from an architectural perspective. The focus is on building care in the community and reshaping the built environment to encourage healthier choices over less healthy alternatives. The study examines the relationship between architecture and mental well-being through a holistic view of mental health, and build a design proposal tailored to the specific target group in a specific site, based on evidence from research and best practice, survey, interviews, site and context analysis. The result is a new urban place embedded within the context of a former industrial harbor under urban regeneration. The architecture here interprets a boundary place, between land and water, as part of a new urban quality designed as open spaces and therapeutic gardens in relation to the city's landscape. The hub offers medical care, research unit, mental health promotion and aims to reactivate the site by fostering new relationships and setting the stage for meaningful activities and social interaction. The new urban space acts as a system link that frames the existing facilities, like the motion hall, a café, and a brewery, and makes them accessible.
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