Healing Strokes

Fig: 1 - The fast pace life has trapped us inside an never-ending void (Credits-Anna Dziubinska)

PRESSURES OF THE CONTEMPORARY WORK LIFE

Growth today is a result of the development of people all around the world. The speed of life has increased as everyone is running round the clock to meet their job needs and expectations. Work has extended and has made itself a priority.

Like every other thing, this progress and development have come at a cost. Increased progress calls for higher hour weekdays, this has substantially affected and decreased the time we spend at home. Thus, in conclusion, it has affected our way of living and the relationships we have at home.

The recent IHME'S data observations have concluded that there is a 60% increase in the overall mental health problems all around the world and most of which are observed to be work-related problems. Affecting the majority of the population around the world, the reasons and causes of mental pressures vary subsequently.

Taking into consideration the multi-dimensional nature of this issue, how can it be addressed?

Fig: 2 - Urban life mostly causes mental illness and it gets difficult to deal with (Nik Shuliahin)

MENTAL PROBLEMS AND CHRONIC STRESS

The majority of issues leading to mental problems are chronic stress, tension and anxiety, and they are plaguing the working population constantly. Today about 971 million people worldwide are affected by some of the other stress. 

Art therapy is an integrative mental health and human services profession that enriches the lives of individuals, families, and communities through active art-making, creative process, applied psychological theory, and human experience within a psychotherapeutic relationship. The seemingly subtle everyday life process is what art therapy is. 

Art therapy is about expressing and observing yourself through artistic expressions like painting, sculpting, and meditation. The response to art varies according to individuals, but the inclusion of art therapy has proved to have subsequent results worldwide. 

Can architecture aid the process of art therapy to help mental health issues? How can architectural interventions help in aiding this process?

Fig: 3 - Can spaces for art help heal people and give them a therapeutic experience (Credits-Anna Shve)

BRIEF OF THE COMPETITION

The process of art therapy is greatly influenced by the field of psychology and art. This field acts as a hybrid of these two where the aim is to address, treat and empower people to explore their emotions and feelings through creating and observing art. 

Brief: The architecture competition brief calls for a design of a therapeutic space/centre for the practice of painting, sculpting and music; as a part of the art therapy program. 

The aim of the competition is to create a space that provides a platform for the people to practice these art forms in groups, where the architecture of the space not only enables their process of working but also creates a healing and relaxing environment. 

The international practice of art through a variety of artistic mediums requires a space that incorporates the functioning of these activities and also provides freedom for the user to explore their own creativity.

OBJECTIVES

Empathy: Understanding the needs of the users, de-stressing strategies. 

Connection: To be able to connect with the context and oneself and art. 

Recreational: The design should offer spaces that can help user engagement and de-stress. 

Comfort: To provide comfort and leisure for better recovery. 

The following objectives can be the beginning to conceive the design. Participants are free to assume their contexts and user group.

SITE

Pleasington, Blackburn, UK

• Area: 8,450 sq.m
• Height limit: 12 meters
• Maximum Built Up Area: 8,450 sq.m
• Ground coverage: 50%
• Coordinates: 53°44'12.1"N 2°32'32.5"W

Pleasington is a village and civil parish in the Borough of Blackburn with Darwen, Lancashire, England. It is a rural village set on a hillside above the River Darwen, hence having beautiful vistas and sceneries for self-reflection and art.
The site is located on the outskirts of Blackburn UK. Away from city life, it would serve as a perfect spot for self-reflection and art therapy for well-being. 

AREA PROGRAMME

The programmatic outline intended for the batch capacity of 100 people. The space ideas are as follows: 

• Exhibition spaces: 10%
• Workshop spaces: 30% 
• Stay spaces: 30%
• Public gathering/engagement spaces: 20%
• Services and ancillary spaces: 10%

Other additional spaces can be added by the participants as per their design needs.