ARCHITECTURAL PSYCHOLOGY

AS A MEANS TO ALLEVIATE

POST TRAUMATIC STRESS IN WOMEN

RESEARCH PAPER, 2019-2020

RUSHALI MALHOTRA
Enrollment number: 05659301616
FOURTH YEAR, 2019-2020

MBS SCHOOL OF PLANNING AND ARCHITECTURE

GURU GOBIND SINGH INDRAPRASTHA UNIVERSITY
DWARKA, NEW DELHI
 MBS SCHOOL OF PLANNING AND ARCHITECTURE
DWARKA, NEW DELHI

CANDIDATE’S DECLARATION

I hereby certify that the work which is being presented in the research paper entitled
“architectural psychology as a means to alleviate post traumatic stress in women” as a
prerequisite for the award of the degree of Bachelor of Architecture and submitted in
the MBS School of Planning and Architecture, affiliated to GGSIP University, is an
authentic record of my own work carried out during a period of August 2019 to
December 2019.

The matter presented in this research paper has not been submitted by me for the
award of any other degree of this or any other Institute.

Rushali Malhotra

This is to certify that the above statement made by the candidate is correct to the best
of my knowledge.

Date: ​Ar. Jyoti Arora

Research Guide

The Dissertation Viva-Voce Examination of ​NAME​, has been held

on…………………

Research Coordinator External Examiner

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 ACKNOWLEDGMENT

Successful completion of any type of project requires help from several people. So as
to complete this research, I have taken help from my faculties, friends and many
others, titled “Architectural Psychology as a means to alleviate Post Traumatic Stress
in Women”.

I convey my sincere gratitude to my Research guide, Ar. Jyoti Arora ma’am. Without
her kind direction and proper guidance this study would have been a little success. In
every phase of the project, her supervision and guidance shaped this report to be
completed perfectly.

Rushali Malhotra

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 ABSTRACT

“Spaces determine our behavior — for the most part without our conscious
perception” (​Dr. Deinsberger-Deinswege​r)

An architect can control human behavior with his design by understanding the way
that a building’s design can influence a person’s behavior, thus, modifying the
individual’s mood and perception,whether the environment is natural or man-made.
Understanding the way in which environment affects people, could enable the design
and construction of work, recreation and living space that has the ability to influence
people’s behavior.

The crime rate against women is increasing at a terrifying rate. According to the
National Crime Records Bureau of India, reported incidents of crime against women
increased 6.4% during 2012, and a crime against a woman is committed every three
minutes. India has been characterised as one of the "countries with the lowest per
capita rates of sexual assault". A large number of crimes go unreported in various
countries including India. The willingness to report the these crimes has increased in
recent years, after several incidents of sexual assault received widespread media
attention and triggered public protest. Even so, there’s hesitation in reaching out for
help and support due to the culture.

A traumatic level of stress and pain is associated with these felonies which is difficult
to cope with, without professional help. In this society, it's an obligatory requirement
to have a good number of rehabilitation centres for women have gone through such
traumas. ​Psychology of architecture can add significantly to the healing process of
affected when combined with necessary medical procedures.
 TABLE OF CONTENTS

1. CHAPTER 1 : SYNOPSIS ​ ​ 1
1.1 Introduction ​ ​ 1
1.2 Aim 3
1.3 Objectives 3
1.4 Need for research / Role of architecture ​ ​ 3
1.5 Methodology ​ ​ ​ 5
1.6 Scope 6
1.7 Limitations 6

2. CHAPTER 2 : BACKGROUND STUDY ​ ​ 7

2.1 Rehabilitation centres and its types 7

2.2 Impact of Architecture on Human Psychology ​ ​ 11

2.3 Post Traumatic Stress Disorder 13

2.3.1 Symptoms and Causes ​ ​ 14
2.3.2 Treatments 15
2.3.3 Cognitive Behavioral Therapy 17

3. CHAPTER 3 : LITERATURE STUDY 19

3.1 Architectural elements/parameters facilitating 19

psychotherapeutic wellness
3.1.1 Colors 19
3.1.2 Lighting 24
3.1.3 Materials and Textures 27
3.1.4 Indoor air quality ​ ​ 28
3.1.5 Flexibility in Design 30
3.1.6. Accessibility and Movement ​ ​ 31

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 3.1.7 Identity and perception of Spaces and Volumes 32
3.1.8 Security 34
3.1.8.1 Personal Space 35
3.1.8.2 Natural Surveillance 37
3.1.9 Open Spaces, Landscaping and Therapeutic Gardens​ ​ 37
3.1.10 Therapeutic Pools 38

3.2 Sensory Architecture 39

3.2.1 Vision/Sight: Visual Aids and Forms 40
3.2.2 Smell: Aroma Therapy 41
3.2.3 Touch: Textures 43
3.2.4 Sound: Hearing aids 45

4. CHAPTER 4 : CASE STUDIES​ ​ 48

4.1 Live case study: MSF Foundation, Umeed ki Kiran, Delhi 48

4.2 No Violence Shelter, Israel ​ ​ 54
4.3 Ostra Hospital, Sweden ​ ​ 58

5. CHAPTER 5 : ANALYSIS AND CONCLUSION ​ ​ 62

6. CHAPTER 6 : DESIGN RECOMMENDATIONS ​ ​ 65

7. REFERENCES 71
8. APPENDIX A ​ ​ 72
9. APPENDIX B 74

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 LIST OF FIGURES

Figure 1 Poster by The Institute for Public Policy Research 1

Figure 2 Annual sexual assault per 100,000 people, for India compared to select
nations 2
Figure 3 Factors that impact human psychology 3
Figure 4 The scope of environment behavior information 4
Figure 5 How drug rehabs help the patient 8
Figure 6 Physical Rehab 9
Figure 7 Vocational Rehab features 9
Figure 8 Fundamental Processes of Human Behavior 12
Figure 9 Suzhou traditional garden of China 12
Figure 10 Chinese temple 12
Figure 11 Interpersonal Psychotherapy 15
Figure 12 Therapy Animals 15
Figure 13 Support Groups 16
Figure 14 Cognitive Behavioral Therapy 17
Figure 15 Cognitive Restructuring 17
Figure 16 Eye movement desensitization and reprocessing 18
Figure 17 Emotions associated with various colors- Bleicher, Steven (2005) 20
Figure 18 Dark blue interiors 21
Figure 19 light pale blue interiors 21
Figure 20 red interiors for highlighting 21
Figure 21 red interiors of a bar 22
Figure 22 White interiors 22
Figure 23 White interiors 22
Figure 24 pale yellow interiors 23
Figure 25 vibrant lime yellow interiors 23
Figure 26 black interiors 24

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Figure 27 black interiors 24
Figure 28 green interiors 25
Figure 29 green interiors 25
Figure 30 good day lighting 26
Figure 31 bad interior lighting 26
Figure 32 warm vs. cool lighting 27
Figure 33 Types of lighting 28
Figure 34 incorrect and correct types of reflected light 29
Figure 35 Amount of light reflected by different objects 29
Figure 36 wood texture 30
Figure 37 glass 31
Figure 38 metallic surface 31
Figure 39 Sources of indoor pollutants 32
Figure 40 The flexibility of furniture design and space usage 33
Figure 41 Experts and Non-experts' preferences for form 36
Figure 42 Therapeutic Pool 40
Figure 43 Aquatic Therapy 41
Figure 44 The Solar Spectrum 42
Figure 45 Visual Aids 43
Figure 46 Aromatherapy 44
Figure 47 Survey on the effect of the finishing materials used in the psychiatric
healthcare buildings in Egypt on the mental health of the psychiatric patients.
(Source: Abdel Moneim, Walid, 2000, p. 318) 46
Figure 48 Variety in appearance of different kinds of wood 47
Figure 49 Negative effect of Noise 48
Figure 50 Facade of Umeed ki Kiran, MSF 49
Figure 51 OPD of Babu Jagjivan Lal Memorial Hospital 50
Figure 52 Patient flow 50
Figure 53 Floor plans 51
Figure 54 Reception 51
Figure 55 Triage Room 52
Figure 56 Waiting Room 52

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Figure 57 Counselling Room 53
Figure 58 Vocational Counselling Room 53
Figure 59 Children's Counselling Room 54
Figure 60 Shelter Room 54
Figure 61 Medical Counselling Room 55
Figure 62 Examination Room 55
Figure 63 Examination Room 55
Figure 64 Exterior of the No to Violence Shelter 56
Figure 65 Exterior of the facility 56
Figure 66 Plan of the facility 57
Figure 67 Model of the facility 58
Figure 68 Courtyard 58
Figure 69 Model of the Facility 58
Figure 70 Courtyard 59
Figure 71 Ground floor plan 60
Figure 72 First floor plan 60
Figure 73 Exterior of the Ostra Hospital's Acute Psychiatry Ward 61
Figure 74 Small courtyards incorporated in planning to maximize penetration of
natural light 62
Figure 75 Application of coloured films over windows to control what colour of light
fills the interiors 63
Figure 76 Orange on the exterior and Green from the planters to uplift the mood-
Colour Use 63
Figure 77 First Floor Plan of Ostra Psychiatry ward depicting pioneering change in
designing circulation for psychiatric wards. 64
Figure 78 Perspective sketch of the 'Nodes' depicted 64
Figure 79 different types and colors of switches 68
Figure 80 Pedestrian Circulation 69
Figure 81 Safety measures for a staircase 70
Figure 82 Signages 71
Figure 83 Indoor Courtyard 72

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Figure 84 4 designed VR spaces - external view. Left to right- square, round dome,
sharp edged, curvy 77
Figure 85 Experts vs. Non-Experts preferences for forms 78
Figure 86 Experts vs. Non-Experts on the different features of different forms 79

Table 1 recommended illumination levels 28

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CHAPTER 1: SYNOPSIS

1.1 INTRODUCTION

Gender Based Violence (GBV) is a global health, human rights and development
issue that transcends geography, class, culture, age, race and religion to affect every
community and country in every corner of the world.

In India, gender based violence has many manifestations; from the more universally
prevalent forms of domestic and sexual violence including rape, to harmful practices
such as, dowry, honour killings, acid attacks, witch - hunting, sexual harassment,
child sexual abuse, trafficking for commercial sexual exploitation, child marriage, sex
selective abortion, sati etc.

Figure 1 Poster by The Institute for Public Policy Research

India was placed 131st of 152 countries in the ​Georgetown Institute’s global ranking
of women’s inclusion and well-being​. India’s ​National Crime Records Bureau
reported 338,954 crimes against women in 2016, the most recent government data
available. That’s up from ​309,546 reported incidents of violence against women in
2013. A UN study states only 11% of the total number of sexual assault cases are
reported around the globe.

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 Figure 2 Annual sexual assault per 100,000 people, for India compared to select nations

Architectural psychology can be described as a branch of environmental or

ecological psychology. This deals with the psychological processes of the interaction
between man and his environment, as for example spatial perception, spatial thinking,
orientation behaviour, or spatial experience, territorial behaviour, living requirements
and satisfaction, local identity.

The architecture provides a sense of space and support to all types of human activities
if used appropriately and it provides firmness, service, and delight. Architectural
psychology is an important multidisciplinary field, bridging traditional psychology,
engineering, architecture, domestic planning, and much more to assist people to
design buildings and living spaces for better occupation.

By understanding more about how people experience the built form, one can further
take a more occupant-centred approach towards designing and engineering, which
will lead to more truly innovative architectural designs.

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1.2 AIM

To explore how psychology of architecture can help women recover from post
traumatic stress in a healthier and therapeutic environment.

1.3 OBJECTIVE

1. To gain an understanding of the psychology and trauma of affected victims.

2. To study on-going research on how architecture can affect psychology.
3. To learn about sensory and responsive architecture.
4. To acquire a knowledge of medical requirements of rehabilitation centres.
5. To establish how the elements of colour, light, shadow, materials, proportion,
scale, mass, volume, landscaping, detail and sound can be used to induce a holistic
experience in social spaces.

1.4 NEED FOR RESEARCH/ROLE OF ARCHITECTURE

Dr. Deinsweger, from the Institute for Residential and Architectural Psychology in
Austria, researched that ill-conceived and inferior architecture, combined with other
factors, can promote stress, encourage exhaustion, induce psychosomatic symptoms
and even promote physical discomfort. These effects may not be immediately
apparent, but often appear after a period of months or years. This allows for the
reverse conclusion that spaces can also support healing processes and promote
well-being.

​Figure 3 Factors that impact human psychology

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In order to feel comfortable in an environment, does not only require a ​pleasant
indoor climate. Light, plants, materials, construction methods, temperature, and
air conditions also play a role for well-being and health. We have to bear in mind
that humans have a holistic perception: Our senses influence our thinking, feelings
and actions and therefore our entire body. If our senses are positively stimulated, this
can have an invigorating or calming effect. As a result, spaces can influence our
thinking, action patterns and, thus, for example, promote motivation, our readiness to
act, and strengthen our performance or concentration. ​If we feel uncomfortable in
spaces, this can lead to restlessness or discomfort, hypersensitivity, lethargy or
even anxiety.

An architect can control human behavior with his design by understanding the
way that a building’s design can influence a person’s behavior, thus, modifying
the individual’s mood and perception​, whether the environment is natural or
man-made.Understanding the way in which environment affect people could enable
the design and construction of work, recreation and living space that has the ability to
influence people’s behavior.

Figure 4 The scope of environment behavior information

Psychology of architecture can help create healing spaces for victims to cope up
and get back on their feet. This will contribute a great deal with simultaneous
medical treatments and therapy provided by rehabilitation centres.

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1.5 METHODOLOGY

Studying rehabilitation centres, their types, needs and requirements

Understanding Post-traumatic stress disorder, its causes and effects

Studying the relation between a space and human response

Establishing design parameters and elements that affect the psychology

Comparative analysis of case studies in Indian as well as foreign context

Design recommendations on the basis of various medical and architectural research

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1.6 SCOPE

This study shows the relationship between architecture and behavioral psychology
and how the same can be utilised in creating a therapeutic environment.
It includes:

1. Role of architecture in rehabilitation

2. Effects of various architectural design elements on human psychology
initiating behavioral differences
3. Therapeutic value of architecture

1.7 LIMITATIONS

This study shows emphasis on phenomenology in architecture and psychological

effects of the same with a contextual focus limited to Rehabilitation Centre for
women going through Post-traumatic stress disorder due to the extensive nature of the
subject.

Also, as there are numerous architectural elements, the study will be limited to colour,
light, shadow, materials, proportion, scale, mass, volume, detail and sound due to time
constraints.

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CHAPTER 2: BACKGROUND STUDY

2.1 REHABILITATION CENTRE AND ITS TYPES

“Nobody can escape architecture and its effects.” (​Günter Hertel​)

Rehabilitation (also commonly known as rehab) is a scientifically developed

procedure of restoring someone to health or normal life by training and therapy after
imprisonment, addiction, or illness etc. It is a slow but steady process.

There are different ​types of rehabilitation available for different types of disabilities.
Some of them are listed below:

1. Neurological Rehabilitation
A. In this type of rehabilitation, patients suffering from stroke, neuromuscular
disease, certain types of head trauma and spinal cord injury are treated.
B. It aims at making the patient self-dependent.
C. It helps create a positive thinking in patients.
D.The patient is treated so that he leads an improved life physically,
emotionally, and socially.

2. Cardiac Rehabilitation
A. Cardiac rehab program is designed to help those people who have a heart
problem. Heart patients are educated to live a healthy life and reduce stress for
the proper functioning of the heart.

Figure 5 How drug rehabs help the patient

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 B. Educating people about the various risk factors that contribute to
developing a heart disease. These risk factors include, high blood pressure,
obesity, smoking, drinking, drug abuse, lack of physical activity, etc.
C. Recovery programs from heart disease/surgery.
D. Educating people about improving their quality of life.

3. Drug rehabilitation
A. Drug rehabilitation programs involve programs that are designed to make
an addict free from the addiction of alcohol, prescription drugs and street
drugs (cocaine, heroin etc)
B. counseling programs to know to underline reason behind the person’s
addiction
C. educating the person about the negative impacts of drug abuse on personal
life and professional career and its side effects on health.
D. Programs to ensure the patient does not relapse

4. Alcohol rehabilitation
A. ​Alcohol rehabilitation program is designed to make an alcoholic free from
the addiction.
B. It involves programs that will teach people the various bad effects of
consuming excess alcohol.
C. Effective detox programs that will cleanse the body from the various toxins
of alcohol.

5. Physical rehabilitation
A​. ​Physical rehabilitation is for those people whose lifestyle has changed after
they have gone through a serious illness, surgery, accident or illness.
B. Here the therapist introduces programs to improve the mobility and
functioning of the injured body part of the patient.
C. Proper exercising program is designed to improve the functioning often
physical body.

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 Figure 6 Physical Rehabilitation

D. Includes therapies that will help a patient relearn the basic physical and
cognitive functioning.

6. Medical rehabilitation
A. Medical rehabilitation includes treatment programs that help a person
perform better in all his daily physical and mental activities.
B. Medical rehabilitation is a follow up treatment after any kind of treatment
program.
C. Programs focus on improving major and minor skills that are required in
the basic life.
D. Assessing patient in every step to improve the activities of basic living

7. Vocational rehabilitation
A. Vocational rehab program is designed to help those people who find it
difficult to get employment or retain it after they have gone through certain
situations that caused mental or physical disability in them.
B. Providing physiological and medical assessment.
C. Job placement, job training and on the job training

Figure 7 Vocational Rehab features

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 8. Vestibular Rehabilitation
It helps in improving the ear deficit by working on the central nervous system.
Also deals in improving eye and head coordination.

A post-traumatic stress rehabilitation centre will be a combination of a physical,

medical and vocational rehabilitation centre due to its vast needs and
requirements.

Present condition of domestic violence shelters in India:

In India, the number of rehabilitation centres for sexual assault survivors is very few
but there are many Non-Government Organizations that work with women and
provide them with food, shelter, psychiatric help and arrange workshops for their
well-being.

1. Poor availability
2. up to 70 - 80% of women and 80% of children turned away on any given night
3. woefully underfunded
4. Average length of stay = 14 days; most allow 30-day max stay
5. Over 50% of all homeless women and children are fleeing domestic violence

A survey was taken to understand the present condition of hospitals in India. 10/94
did not experience any problem. 84 people said they said they faced issues due to the
following reasons:

1. Confusing planning
2. Poor signages
3. Overcrowding
4. Weirdly constructed building with lots of corridors.
5. Unorganized sector
6. Too many intersecting corridors without signages
7. Not enough floor plans hence lack of indication
8. The building is too large and the rooms all look alarmingly similar

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2.2 IMPACT OF ARCHITECTURE ON HUMAN PSYCHOLOGY

“The designer could be cast in the role of a communicator whose messages to the
user concern the symbolic qualities of products. Just as a journalist creates
informative messages from a vocabulary of terms, so could a designer be thought of
as having a collection of forms at his disposal with which he creates arrangements
that can be understood as a whole in their essential parts and that are usable by a
receiver because of this communicated understanding" (Mothersill- 2014)

Psychology of space: Dr. Shyam K. Bhat, a psychiatrist and integrative medicine

specialist working in India and the United States, describes it as completing our
psychological selves (aspirations, dreams, hopes, desires), reducing our fears and
shortcomings, as authentic (true and consistent to time, place, and self), and as
integrated (balancing masculine/feminine, order/chaos, symmetry/asymmetry). In
summarizing the psychology of space as a ​“healthy environment for mind and body,”
he states: ​“The psyche is the source, the destination, and the abode of all
architecture.”​3 Dr. Bhat has claimed elsewhere, ​“Paul Rudolph, the Carl Jung of
architects, believed that architecture was basically about manipulating space, light,
proportion, texture, and material to fulfill the psychological needs of the occupants.”

In many regions of the world, people spend the majority of their time indoors. Hence,
the feelings and interactions of the occupants are highly correlated with the design
elements and architectural features of the built environment. In other words, ​“the built
environment provides the setting by which we live our lives, and impacts on our
senses, our emotions, participation in physical activity and community life, our sense
of community, and general well-being. Meanings are generated by buildings and
spaces, which we ‘read’ as we pass through them” (Butterworth, 2000)

Today, as the architectural design and development has becoming increasingly

mature, the functions are no longer the principal contradictions of building, and on the
other hand, the psychological feelings generated by building are not emphasized by
the architect. People’s feelings toward object is generated through stimulation, which
is the sense organ’s reflection of the individual attribute of objective matter.

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 Figure 8 Fundamental Processes of Human Behavior

Different styles will cause different feelings. For example, in Suzhou traditional
garden of China, the natural elements are introduced as the spatial elements in the
garden, which form rich spatial effects with the pavilions, hills, flowers and trees, and
you will feel pleasant and happy at every part of the garden, which can make you
completely relaxed.

​Figure 9 Suzhou traditional garden of China Figure 10 Chinese Temple

Another example is the Chinese temple, it is symmetrical, stable and generally

discreet, full of the mystery that combines the heaven and earth, which is elegant and
solemn with far-reaching conception, and it can instantly make you full of deep
esteem.

People’s visual scanning order is generally up-down and left-right, the form of center
point is the visual center, and so different perceptions of spatial magnitudes will be
generated at different positions. In the plane space, the form at the upper part is lighter

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than at the lower part, or otherwise, it will leave people an impression of front
heaviness. Different colors and textures can also generate different spatial
magnitudes: the forms of low color transparency, low purity, cold colors and simple
texture can produce a receding feeling, which can make people feel quiet, and it
shows profound and simple cultural deposits; the forms of high color transparency,
high purity, warm color and rich texture can create a feeling of advance,
boisterousness and prosperity, which can make people excited, it is also easy to
remember, and it can also generate different front and back levels and form a sense of
space. High buildings are magnificent and eye catching, while low buildings are
steady.

On the aspect of form, compared to the form of the same size while with irregular
profile, simple form feels smaller. For the directional form, a big space should be left
along the direction, or otherwise, it will make you feel crowded. The wholeness of
form also affects the space psychology. For the forms with the same intake in space,
the form of irregular edge will make you feel spacious, and if the form is in the center,
it will make you feel crowded.

2.3 POST TRAUMATIC STRESS DISORDER

There are numerous mental ailments which develop due to a person’s inability to deal
with/tackle stress. In this light, diseases like Depression , Anxiety, PTSD, and other
similar mental disorders are deeply connected with one other​.

PTSD or Post Traumatic Stress Disorder is a chronic mental ailment or mental

disorder by virtue of which a person is unable to recover mentally after witnessing or
suffering a terrifying event such as combat, natural disasters, acts of terrorism, sexual
harassment, warfare, traffic collisions, or other threats on a person's life.

This ailment further develops into depression which actually claims more lives a year
than many other physiological diseases combined. ​Young children are less likely to
show distress, but instead may express their memories through play. A person with

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PTSD is at a higher risk for suicide and intentional self-harm. There are 10 million
cases of PTSD in India per year.

2.3.1 Causes and Symptoms of PTSD

There can many innumerable causes of PTSD. Some of which might include
witnessing or suffering a terrifying event such as combat, natural disasters, acts
of terrorism, sexual harassment, warfare, traffic collisions, or other threats on a
person's life.

Facing regular stress, feeling anxious, experiencing trauma, all this when left
unchecked transcends into more formal diseases and disorders like Post-Traumatic
Stress Disorder.

Many people with PTSD tend to re-experience aspects of the traumatic event,
especially when they are exposed to events or objects reminiscent of the trauma.
Anniversaries of the event, similarities in person, place or circumstance can also
trigger symptoms. People with PTSD also experience intrusive memories or
flashbacks, emotional numbness, sleep disturbances, anxiety, intense guilt, sadness,
irritability, or outbursts of anger, and dissociative experiences.

Behavioral symptoms and repercussions of PTSD​ may include the following:

1. disturbing thoughts, feelings, or dreams related to the events

2. mental or physical distress/sensations to trauma-related cues like (heart
pounds or misses a beat, sweating, difficulty breathing, feeling faint, feeling a
loss of control)
3. attempts to avoid trauma-related cues like thoughts, conversations, people,
places, activities or feelings associated with the event
4. an increase in the fight-or-flight response
5. flashbacks
6. Dissociative reactions or loss of awareness of present surroundings

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 7. Outburst of emotional feelings like sadness, irritability and anger when
reminded of the event
8. Having difficulty remembering parts of the original trauma
9. Feeling numb or detached from things
10. Lack of interest in social activities and concentration
11. Inability to experience positive moods and pessimistic attitude
12. Feeling easily startled
13. Excess Awareness (hypervigilance)

2.3.2 Treatments for PTSD

Different types of treatments for Post-traumatic stress disorder may include:

1. Professional Counselling/
Interpersonal Psychotherapy: It is a
safe and confidential collaboration
between qualified counsellors and clients
to promote mental health and wellbeing,
enhance self-understanding, and resolve
identified concerns. Clients are active
participants in the counselling process at every stage.
2. Cognitive behavioral therapy: CBT is a short-term, goal-oriented
psychotherapy treatment that takes a hands-on, practical approach to
problem-solving. Its goal is to change patterns of thinking or behavior that are
behind people's difficulties, and so change the way they feel.
3. Medication: a medicine, or a set of medicines or mind altering drugs, used to
improve a particular condition or illness.
4. Sports and physical therapy: Physical therapist is a trained and licensed
medical professional with experience in diagnosing physical abnormalities,
restoring physical function and mobility, maintaining physical function, and
promoting physical activity and proper function.

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5. Residential therapy: A residential treatment center (RTC) is a live-in health
care facility providing therapy for substance abuse, mental illness, or other
behavioral problems.
6. Therapy animal: A therapy animal is a
type of animal-assisted intervention in
which there is a “goal directed intervention
in which an animal meeting specific criteria
is an integral part of the treatment process.
Animal-assisted therapy is provided in a
variety of settings, and may be group or
individual in nature.
7. Support group meetings: Group treatment
is a therapeutic setting for trauma survivors
seeking help and support while sharing
traumatic material in a safe environment.
As group members achieve greater
understanding and resolution of their
trauma, they often feel more confident and
able to trust themselves as well as others.
As they discuss and share trauma-related shame, guilt, fear, rage, doubt, and
self-condemnation, they learn to focus on the present rather than the past.
Telling one's story and directly facing the grief, guilt, and anxiety related to
trauma enables many survivors to cope with their symptoms, memories, and
other aspects of life.
8. Experimental treatment: Experimental therapy is essentially therapy by
protocol. The basic aspects of the treatment must be similar across the
population being studied, if the tests of its effects are to be valid.

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2.3.3 Cognitive Behavioral Therapy

A revolution in the field of mental health was initiated in the early 1960s by Aaron T.
Beck, M.D, then an assistant professor in psychiatry at the University of
Pennsylvania. He developed a form of psychotherapy and termed it Cognitive
Therapy, now used synonymously with Cognitive behavioural therapy. Beck’s
cognitive model proposes that dysfunctional thinking (which influences the patient’s
mood and behaviour) is common to all psychological disturbances. When people learn
to evaluate their thinking in a more realistic and adaptive way, they experience
improvements in their emotional state and in their behaviour. [Judith S. Beck, 2011,
Cognitive Behaviour Therapy: Basics and Beyond]

Figure 14 Cognitive Behavioral Therapy

CBT can be broken down into several treatments provided according to the needs of
the patient. The following treatments have been proven most effective in the therapy
process:

1. Exposure/ Experiential therapy: ​It is a therapeutic approach that encourages

patients to identify and address hidden or subconscious issues through
activities such as role playing, guided imagery, the use of props, and a range
of other active experiences. This therapy helps people be more aware of their
experience. It may expose them to the memory of the trauma they experienced
in a safe way. It uses mental imagery, writing, or visits to the place where the
event happened.

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2. Cognitive restructuring: This therapy
helps people make sense of their memories
and experiences. Sometimes people
remember the event differently than how it
actually happened. They may feel guilt or
shame about what is not their fault. The
therapist helps people with PTSD look at
what happened in a realistic way.
3. Stress inoculation training: This therapy
tries to reduce PTSD symptoms by teaching a person how to reduce anxiety
when confronting anxiety provoking
situations.
4. Eye movement desensitization and
reprocessing (EMDR): This form of
therapy involves elements of exposure
therapy and cognitive behavioural
therapy, combined with techniques
(sounds, eye movements, hand taps) that
create an alteration of attention.
5. Role playing: ​This therapy focuses on role play, initially with the therapist
taking the role of the client, and helping the client to review the positive and
negative aspects of the therapist’s behaviors before role playing for themselves
and help the client apply learning from role playing to real-life situations.
6. Guided self-dialogue: ​This helps the client to focus on their self-talk (the
statements they make to themselves), to identify self-talk that is negative or
‘irrational’, and replace this with more adaptive self-talk and challenge
unhelpful self-talk by generating statements and questions which aim to
identify what the client is afraid of and the probability that this will occur,
manage avoidance, control self-criticism and self-devaluation, and encourage
self-reinforcement for having confronted the stressor.

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CHAPTER 3: LITERATURE STUDY

3.1 ARCHITECTURAL ELEMENTS FACILITATING

PSYCHOTHERAPEUTIC WELLNESS

3.1.1 Colors

Color psychology is the study of how ​color affects/ triggers moods​, sentiments and
brings behavioral differences in humans. However what moods are triggered may
vary from person to person and can be influenced by a multitude of factors.
According to the research accomplished by psychologists, in many cases the effects
originated from colour are future based with less intermediate effects.

Colors play an important role in the ​perception of a space in mind​. This plays an
important role to keep in mind while designing spaces. Adding the right pop of colour
throughout the space can help set the desired tone depending upon the purpose of that
space and can boost productivity. For example, using lighter shades makes spaces
appear bigger while darker shades make the space look smaller.

Colour serves to control and reflect light, thus can have a profound impact on the
space. Light by itself is not so effective, but expresses itself in combination with its
colour.

Colours not only affect human activities, but also help in describing the status of a
place, psychologically, light colours portray objects and surroundings greater. On the
contrary, dark colours show things and surroundings smaller. Colours change
architecture and may cause expansion, widening, expansion, prolongation, and
causes a false recognition of ceiling​. Colours are so effective on the mind they even
affect the ​perception of weight​, i.e. darker things seem heavier, while brighter seem
lighter.

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 Figure 17 Emotions associated with various colors- Bleicher, Steven (2005)

There are four primary psychological colors namely red, blue, yellow and green. They
relate respectively to the body, mind and emotions and it is essential to have a balance
between these. The psychological properties of the basic 6 colors are as follows:

1. BLUE
Symbolises: nature, clear sky, pure water
Positives: tranquility, peace, contentment
Negatives: melancholia, uneasiness, depression

Shades of Blue in interiors can be used for a restful or a bold effect. Pale blue has a
calming sense and gives space to a room and can be used for larger spaces. A
dark shade of blue can be used in intimate spaces as it adds depth and is more
closely related to closeness.

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 Figure 18 Dark blue interiors Figure 19 light pale blue interiors

2. RED
Symbolises: fire, blood, power
Positives: dramatic, vital, exciting, energetic, warm and welcoming
Negatives: can induce aggression and violence

Red can be used in rooms that require excitement like play rooms and bars. Red
interiors can be perceived as warm and elegant.

Figure 20 red interiors for highlighting Figure 21 red interiors of a bar

3. WHITE
Symbolises: purity, brightness
Positives: light, goodness, positivity
Negatives: coldness, barriers, unfriendliness

White color reflects light the best creating a bright and positive atmosphere. Snow
white colors makes a room sparkle and it contrasts well with wood and metals.

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 Figure 22,23 White interiors

4. YELLOW
Symbolises: power, intensity, excitement, intellect, honor and loyalty
Positives: stimulates the brain, evokes a sense of energy, freshness, joy,
remembrance
Negatives: fear, emotional fragility, anxiety

Yellow is a perennial favourite in interior designs, combined with green provides

freshness and with red, richness.

Figure 24 pale yellow interiors Figure 25 vibrant lime yellow interiors

5. BLACK
Symbolises: grief, evil, death, strength, authority
Positives: clarity, power, elegance, sophistication, glamour
Negatives: fear, mystery, aggression, hides a person’s personality

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The is essentially the absence of light since no wavelengths are reflected and all the
light is absorbed by the color. It can signify emotional safety and efficiency in
interiors with a touch of glamour.

Figure 26 black interiors Figure 27 black interiors

6. GREEN
Symbolises: nature, trees, money, life, renewal, harmony
Positives: freshness, closer to nature, ambition, safety, growth
Negatives: greed, jealousy

Addition of green brings us freshness and the perception of being closer to the
environment which in turn brings peace and calm to the mind, if used as lush
green. Pale green can create dullness.

Figure 28,29 green interiors

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3.1.2 Lighting

Light is the first condition for any visual conception. Neither space nor forms and
colours are distinguishable in absolute darkness. However, light is not just a physical
necessity but its psychological value is one of the most important effective factors on
human lives in all grounds [Grütter, 2004]. It has a direct effect on mood and feelings.

Light acts on the production of ​cortisol, serotonin and melatonin​, the three
important hormones that affect our internal clock and moods. It is essential to keep
these hormones in proper balance for a healthy lifestyle. Low levels of serotonin
cause depression.

Some studies and examinations proved that in human thought and mind, sunny days
are always accompanied with love, happiness and some sort of special warmth and
excitement. [Boa, 1997]. ​Day lighting in human phantasm reminds such memories
and brings some sort of mobility and positive energy to the person and, in
contrast,cloudy and dark / rainy days are always accompanied with a sense of
dullness, loneliness, worry, depression and discouragement​.

Figure 30 good day lighting Figure 31 bad interior lighting

A lot of studies suggest that ​proper lighting enhances concentration and strongly
reduces or delays fatigue of sensory-motor organs​. Some studies show that white
light improves even ​human temperament and concentrates the motivational
forces on more activities. When a person is in a state in which they are
psychologically balanced, they have the required abilities for deep and accurate
conception of various phenomena going on about them and are thus in a relaxed state

24
to effectively deal with others. In this regard, improper lighting can cause an annoying
sense in person thus rendering them somewhat incapable of dealing with the social
stimuli around them. Also ​bad lighting can fill the place full of distressing
atmosphere or make its local residents upset and anxious; poor and unaccounted
light may cause headaches, eye fatigue or anxiety.

Psychologists believe that even in places where the change in lighting is not as
dramatic, and there aren’t any changes in lighting, this can have a negative effect on
the mood. The presence or absence of light can produce a different feeling.

There is a general natural preference for daylight over artificial light. This could be
related to its spectral quality that triggers hormonal and physiological progresses. This
is why the addition of windows are absolutely essential for flushing light into all the
rooms.

Benefits of Natural lighting:

1. Occupant satisfaction and

comfort
2. Health-circadian rhythm
3. Time orientation
4. Color rendition and color
temperature
5. Reduced electric load
6. Reduced internal heat gain

The amount of light we need varies

and depends on:

1. Type of task being done (such as demands for speed and accuracy)
2. Type of surfaces (does it reflect or absorb light)
3. General work area
4. Individual's vision.

25
The amount of light falling on a surface is measured in units called lux. Depending on
the factors noted above, adequate general lighting is usually between 500 and 1000
lux when measured 76 cm (30 inches) above the floor.

Examples of industrial and office tasks and the recommended light levels are in the
table below:

Table 1 recommended illumination levels- IESNA Lighting Handbook. 9th ed. Illuminating Engineering
Society of North America, 2000

To correct insufficient light:

1. Replace bulbs on a regular schedule. Old bulbs give less light than new ones,
so replace them before they burn out. Follow manufacturers' instructions.
2. Clean light fixtures regularly. Dirt on
light fixtures reduces the amount of
light given off. Light fixtures with
open tops allow air currents to move
dust up through the fixtures so dust
and dirt do not accumulate on them.
3. Add more light fixtures in appropriate
places.
4. Paint walls and ceilings light colours
so light can be reflected.
5. Use more reflected light and local
lighting to eliminate shadows. For

26
 example, a covered light mounted under a transparent guard on a grinding
wheel provides the added light needed to clearly see the task.
6. Do not position the work station with the light fixture directly behind worker.

Figure 34 incorrect and correct types of reflected light

Figure 35 Amount of light reflected by different objects

Effects of light on spaces:

1. Light defines zones and boundaries

2. Light expands and highlights rooms
3. Light creates links and distinguishes one area from another
4. Room surfaces can be differentiated using different levels of illuminance to
indicate their importance.

3.1.3 Materials

A farrago of materials with their varying textures is available today for various
applications such as wall/ceiling finishes, doors and windows, furniture, etc. Items
like a piece of furniture, countertop finishes in kitchens or washrooms, fenestrations,

27
etc. have a greater impact on the human psyche because in addition to the impact they
have with regard to their colour, they are tactile.

Over the past decades, a number of empirical studies have documented that nature or
elements of nature in both outdoor and indoor settings can be beneficial for human
health and well-being.

For architects and interior designers the most related issue to the touch sense is the
selection of materials they use. Every material has a different touch and thus a
different effect. It's worth mentioning, some ideas could be applied to enhance a room
from furniture arrangements to background effects. Different materials used for
tabletops and the feeling linked to that. “Tabletops of wood give warmth to room.
Tabletops of glass make a room appear larger. Tabletops of marble or stone give a
feeling of quality. If you use woodwork (paneling) in a room, the room will feel
warmer and more comfortable.”[Anderson, 2005.]

Figure 36 wood texture Figure 37 glass Figure 38 metallic surface

Therefore, the materials used in any space have a noticeable effect on the user, the
differences between the materials from the degree of hardness and softness, rigidity
and flexibility, lightness and heaviness, etc. All these various specifications influence
the design decisions of the architect. This fact was proven in a survey on the effect of
the finishing materials used in the psychiatric healthcare buildings in Egypt on the
mental health of the psychiatric patients.

3.1.4 Indoor Air Quality (IAQ)

Indoor air quality is the air quality within and around buildings and structures. IAQ is
known to affect the health, comfort and well-being of building occupants. Poor indoor

28
air quality has been linked to sick building syndrome, reduced productivity and
impaired learning.

IAO inside a built space is a very important element to ensure the health and comfort
level of building occupants. This is because general functioning of the mind and
productivity may be interrupted by the polluted environmental conditions and bad
indoor air quality as well as increase stress levels.

Living spaces need to provide clean, cozy and comfortable environment with good
indoor air quality in order to create favorable conditions for psychological and
physical functioning. Indoor air pollution reduces a person's ability to respond to the
demands of the environment, which often leads to ​fatigue, malaise, anxiety,
headaches, mental confusion, reduced mental and physical performance, as well
as irritation of the eyes and throat, coughing and wheezing​. The outcomes of
exposure to air pollution is largely mediated by the intervening perceptive and
cognitive processes that shape behavioral and health responses to stressors.

Figure 39 Sources of indoor pollutants

Longer exposure to pollutants can lead to behavioral and mood changes, personality
changes, impaired memory, slower motor responses and other functional deviations.
Poor indoor air quality can cause diseases such as "sick building syndrome" mass
psychogenic illness, and environmental diseases caused by the influence of

29
environmental stress. A building with poor ventilation cannot ensure the renewal of
indoor air quality.

It is important to identify the sources of indoor pollutants which can include both the
building materials and even the occupants. Once identified, measures can be taken to
ensure the replenishment of indoor air. Various design interventions enable architects
to control the quality of air inside a built space ; proper placements of fenestrations to
ensure cross-ventilation, courtyard planning, etc. Good quality air benefits the human
physiology and hence has psychological benefits as well.

3.1.5 Flexibility in Design

“Because the outside world of today affects us in the most intense and disparate ways,
our way of life is changing more rapidly than in previous times. It goes without saying
that our surroundings will undergo corresponding changes. This leads us to
architecture of which part can be altered, which is flexible” – Walter Benjamin

The satisfaction and psychological status of users and residents is directly linked to a
well-planned and designed feature that makes spaces more usable and beneficial.
Functionality consideration encourages people to live and work effectively.

The psychological and physical comfort of residents is linked to the degree of

feasibility and flexibility of the design. The possibilities of flexible design to change
the shape and size of internal space, and the impact of feasible functions of interior
design in addition to the use of the space as integrated environment makes our interior
more livable.

Figure40 The flexibility of furniture design and space usage

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"Interior architecture can have to function as a platform for happiness and human
flourishing, as a combination of positive feelings and optimal human functioning. It is
clear that design can function as a direct source of pleasure or facilitate pleasurable
activities. Such a vision incorporates a view on interior architecture as an activating
and dynamic platform that facilitates the occurring of meaningful activities for its
inhabitants" (Petermans, 2014).

"User flexibility is an important design objective of modern dwelling units. The

provision of various possible spatial configurations of interior space sub-division.
Created within defined dwelling space, is a natural necessity resulting from altering
dwelling needs over life span, change in living standards, use of modern household
appliances and variation in life style and fashion. The majority of dwellers face the
necessity of enlarging their dwelling space as a result of familial growth. Conducting
work from home and enjoying a hobby activity. This process could later be reversed
when grown up children leave home and the need for space is decreased. The
possibility to move to another dwelling unit is not always attainable as a result of
financial situation. Social factors and children's education. User flexibility is.
Therefore, called for to provide dwellers with a variety of possibilities to sub-divide
given dwelling space and use it in the best possible manner" (Karni, 2000).

3.1.6. Accessibility and Movement

Architecture circulation and interior architecture movement and accessibility is a

continuous process that we exercise in our daily life. This process may be as easy as
moving from one room to another or as difficult as trying to escape a building on fire.

Efficient navigation through the exteriors and interiors of any space saves physical
efforts, enhancing emotional status and introduce a primary impressions about the
overall quality of the architectural design. Circulation difficulties may cause problems
such as loss of time, decreased safety, or causes stress and discomfort.

Accessibility and circulation tasks are affected by two major factors, the
architecture and interior architectural design of the space and the degree of

31
information clearness and accuracy. The impact of accessibility on physical and
psychological conditions take further importance when related to public buildings,
particularly public buildings with large complex facilities such as shopping centers,
airports and hospitals. Spaces and buildings must be accessible to all people with
special concern to children, old people and persons with disabilities.

The designs of interior architectural accessibility and circulation vary according to

space type, size, layout and user requirements. The design of these processes need
wide scopes more than putting up signs or just design an entrance. All routes of both
horizontal circulation elements and vertical circulation elements within any space or
building should be as free as possible of obstacles and they should be easy to
distinguish.

3.1.7 Identity and perception of Spaces and Volumes

"Forms are constructed from points, lines, planes, surfaces and volumes that are
made richer by texture, color and material. In combination, these elements of form
create a design, and similarly all of these elements contribute to our perception of its
meaning. (Mothersill, 2014).

Human perceptions of the space they live in, work, or spend time in are directly
impacted by the reflection of personal, social, and cultural identities on certain
places. ​"There is a complex interaction between a person and a space. The person
defines the space, the space defines the person; the person gives meaning to the
space, the space gives meaning to the person. In other words, there is a complex and
bilateral interaction between the person and the space in its cultural, psychological,
economic and physical dimensions" (Ayalp, 2012). ​The sense of psychological
identity about the architecture of space grows when we start to identify ourselves
with places.

Several research fields have meaningful insights which may contribute to our
understanding of the way humans perceive different spaces and how the geometry of
spaces affects our feelings. Neuroscience and cognitive psychology indicate towards a

32
connection between shapes of objects and feelings. As humans find themselves
spending more time enclosed within the wall of structure, it becomes valuable to
design structures integrating features of the natural environment and structural
landscape features into the human-made environment. ​A space or volume can also
be an expression of cultural pride, societal passion or national esteem.

Human preference for objects has been shown to be influenced by many factors
including ​mere exposure, familiarity, symmetry, contrast, complexity, and
perceptual fluency and similar design principles. (Zajonc, 1968; Winkielman,
Schwarz et al., 2002; Hekkert, 2006).
["Perceptual fluency", or "high fluency" means that the more fluently perceivers can
process an object, the more positive their aesthetic response. This may explain why
people prefer symmetric shapes, as they contain less information than asymmetric
shapes (Garner, 1974).]

Gestalt psychology suggests humans experience the influence of architecture as their

brains have a proclivity to ​infer rhythm and pattern of space and structure​, which
influences behavior. ​(refer Appendix B)

Figure 41 Experts and Non-experts' preferences for form

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3.1.8 Security and Territory

Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design is a crime-environment theory

based on the proposition that the appropriate design and application of the built and
surrounding environment can improve the quality of life by deterring crime and
reducing the fear of crime. Security and crime prevention practitioners should have a
thorough understanding of CPTED concepts and applications in order to work more
effectively with local crime prevention officers, security professionals, building
design authorities, architects and design professionals, and others when designing new
or renovating existing buildings.

If security is treated as one of the many design requirements, then the implementation
and costs for such measures will be no more a burden to the project owners than fire
safety features or landscaping requirements. The basic premise of security design is
that proper design and effective use of the built environment can lead to a reduction in
the incidence and fear of crime, and to an increase in the quality of life. The
environmental design approach to security recognizes the space's designated or
redesignated use -- which defines the crime problem -- and develops a solution
compatible with that use. Good security design enhances the effective use of the space
at the same time it prevents crime.

An intelligent use of the environment will present three basic strategies: access
control, surveillance, and territorial reinforcement:

1. Access Control: This strategy embraces the tried and true custom of utilizing
security guard forces, and the less understood and infrequently applied
strategy of making use of terrain and spatial characteristics and natural
circulation patterns. Access control can be augmented by mechanical
safeguards such as locks and card key systems. The central objectives of an
access control strategy are to deny access to a crime target and to create in the
mind of the criminal a belief that an attack on the target will present personal
risk.
2. Surveillance: A strategy based on surveillance is directed at detecting
intrusion attempts, keeping an intruder under observation, and launching a

34
 response to an intrusion or an attempt at intrusion. A surveillance strategy can
take advantage of terrain features, such as landscaping; building features, such
as raised entrances; organized methods, such as patrolling; and electronic
supplements, such as closed-circuit television.
3. Territorial Reinforcement: The thrust of this strategy is that physical design
can create or extend the sphere of influence naturally exercised by the users of
the territory. The idea is that an individual's sense of proprietorship concerning
a place of work or domicile can be enhanced and extended by conscious
individual action and by cooperating with others in a variety of
crime-suppressing activities.

In a residential setting, individual actions can include installing lights, fences, locks,
and alarms; cooperative actions can include neighborhood watch and patrol programs;
and confronting suspected criminals who enter the neighborhood can combine
individual and cooperative action. Territorial reinforcement communicates to
criminals a message that they don't belong, that they are at risk of being identified,
and that criminal behavior will not be tolerated by the residents.

3.1.8.1 Personal Space

Privacy is approached by environmental psychological as a changing self/other

boundary regulation process in which a person or a group sometimes wants to be
separated from others and sometimes wants to be in contact with others (Davis &
Palladino 1997). In other words, privacy is a dialectic process, in which forces to be
with others and forces to be away from others are both present, with one force
dominating at one time and other being stronger at another time. As a corollary, being
alone too often or for long period of time (isolation) and being with others too much
for too long (crowding) are both undesirable states.

A general principle is that we should attempt to design responsive environments,

which allows easy alternation between a state of separateness and a state of
togetherness. If privacy has a changing dialectic quality, then ideally architects should

35
offer people environments that can be responsive to their changing desires for contact
or absence of contact with others. In many Japanese homes, walls can be moved in or
out of place; the same area may be used for eating, sleeping, and socializing at
different times.

Environments that emphasize only either very little interaction or a great deal of
interaction are too static and will not be responsive to changing privacy needs so
environmental designers should try to create environments that permit different
degrees of control over contact with others. This approach is already used to some
extent. For example, the door is a simple example of an environmental design feature
that is responsive and that allows regulation of social interaction. Opening it signifies
a desire for social stimulation and closing it represents a positive set/other boundary.

The “family room” in American homes seems to be primarily a place for social
interaction. It is hard to imagine someone using a family room as a place to be alone.
In the American home, the den, the bedroom and the bathroom are typically places to
be alone and away from others. In fact, some people use the bathroom to read or
think, since it is one of the few places in the home where people can be sure of
maximum privacy (Gifford, 1997).

Personal space involves a combination of distance and angle of orientation from

others. Office desks and chairs usually place people about four feet from one another.
Edward Hall refers to social distance zone, which he describes as an appropriate
distance for strangers in public settings (Gordon, 1997). Many offices have chairs in a
fixed relationship, such as on either side of a desk, so that the occupant and visitor can
assume only one type of seating position. A possible alternative would be to have an
office arrangement with several optional configurations—chairs across the desk, at
the corner of the desk and behind the desk or chairs on the same side of the desk.
With such options, personal space relationships between the occupant and different
visitors could be adjusted in accord with desired levels of interactions.

Another factor of the privacy regulators is territory, which is classified as primary,

secondary, and public territories in terms of degree of permanency of ownership
and degree of control that occupants have over use of a place (Hall, 1969).

36
Basically territories serve the purpose of smoothing out social interaction and
stabilizing social system. Primary territories, such as homes, usually serve this
function well, since people tend to respect them and since they are easily visible. But
secondary and public territories are sometimes more difficult to recognize.
Environmental design needs to focus on ways to create and define secondary and
public territories in clear terms Because people need to be sure that different levels of
territory are viewed correctly by users and visitors and that they are clearly designed
as to their degree and permanence of ownership. If this is not done, conflict is likely
to occur, intrusions are more probable, and occupants must go to special, often
expensive, length to define, manage, and even defend territories.

3.1.8.2 Natural Surveillance

Promoting visibility, and even creating the illusion of visibility, can help deter crime
and foster a sense of security among building users. Designers should abide by an
“eyes on the street” mentality, both within and outside of their building, allowing
security personnel and building occupants to monitor potential threats. For example,
using straight, unobstructed sight lines with no blind corners eliminates potential
hiding places and creates spaces that can be easily surveyed.

These spaces also create a sense of watchfulness and accountability, as building

occupants can become guards of sorts, able to quickly spot any problems and provide
important information to security personnel.

3.1.9 Open Spaces, Landscaping and Therapeutic Gardens

The physiological studies about the outdoors and open spaces indicate that the natural
environment can contribute to reducing anger, anxiety, and helps in relaxation
management and improves the overall health outcome. Both visual access and
actually being within a green space helps to improve the ability to focus and increase
the level of alertness.

37
Outdoors and green spaces encourage social contact, leisure and cultural activities by
sharing activities with others and enhance the desire of knowledge. Outdoors and
open spaces provide the availability of physical activity like walking and exercise.

"Over the past several decades, research in a variety of fields such as workplaces,
hospitals, urban environments, and experimental laboratories shows that contact with
nature generates emotional, physiological, social, and cognitive benefits.
Furthermore, the findings point consistently to the value of particular natural features
such as large trees, flowers, gardens, and water. Studies also show that benefits of
nature occur in many ways -- through direct contact (sitting in an outdoor garden),
indirect contact (through a window view), and from simulations using nature decor
such as posters or paintings" (Heerwagen, 2006).

3.1.10 Therapeutic Pools/ Aquatic Therapy

Aquatic therapy refers to treatments and exercises performed in water for relaxation,
fitness, physical rehabilitation, and other therapeutic benefit. Typically a qualified
aquatic therapist gives constant attendance to a person receiving treatment in a heated
therapy pool. Aquatic therapy techniques include Ai Chi, Aqua Running, Bad Ragaz
Ring Method, Burdenko Method, Halliwick, Watsu, and other aquatic bodywork
forms. Therapeutic applications include neurological disorders, spine pain,
musculoskeletal pain, postoperative orthopedic rehabilitation, pediatric disabilities,
and pressure ulcers.Water immersion has compressive effects and reflexively
regulates blood vessel tone.

In general, pool temperatures between 83 F (28.3 C) and 88 F (31.1 C) are usually

comfortable for most types of water exercise. Pools that are used for physical therapy
typically have warmer water to help relax muscles and make stretching exercises
easier.

38
 Figure 42 Therapeutic Pool Figure 43 Aquatic Therapy

3.2 SENSORY ARCHITECTURE

"When I first began to explore sensory deprivation in space, the problem seemed a
professional failure - modern architects and urbanists having somehow lost an active
connection to the human body in their designs. In time I came to see that the problem
of sensory deprivation in space has larger causes and deeper historical origins." -
Richard Sennett, Flesh and Stone –The Body and the City in Western Civilization
(1994, p16)

It is said that “architecture is the third skin” of the human body, since the first skin is
the real skin, which acts as the outer envelope and the filter of the body, then the
clothes that act as a second skin, which is also considered as an insulation and filter.
“So people’s third skin would be the next layer out -usually the building they are in,”
which performs as the surrounded manmade environment.

The main function of our senses is to enable us to sense the world around us. ​“Our
eyes see it, our ears hear it, our noses smell it, our mouths taste it, and these along
with a few other senses provide us with most of the knowledge that we have about the
world” (Atkinson, 1996.) This also occurs when we enter a new space and we begin to
notice it, recognize it, and then evaluate it. This process of discovering affects our
sensation in the space and influences our opinion about it. Intellectual designers
realize this fact and take it into consideration in their designs. They design as if they
are treating the different senses of the user: vision, hearing, smell and touch.

39
“The five senses are each gateways of healing. The eyes which give us sight are
gateway to color healing; the ears which give us hearing are a gateway for music
therapy; the sense of touch lends itself to massage; the sense of smell to aromatherapy
and the sense of taste to our diet.” (Gimbel, 1993). Thus the surrounding
environment has a massive effect on the user, mentally and physically. This results
that the human behavior in an architectural space is considered a reaction to the effect
of that space on the user and his/her senses.

3.2.1 Vision/Sight: Visual Aids, Colors and Forms

Architecture is regarded primarily as a visual phenomenon. Thus, we have many

buildings that are designed to please the eye but fail to delight the body as a whole.
Eyes absorb the visual qualities of a space. Vision is capable of stimulating other
senses in our body.

As for vision, the physical stimulus is light, which is a fragment of an electromagnetic

radiation/energy that originates from the Sun and the Universe, and also includes
other forms of radiation. The eye of the Human beings is only sensitive to a bit of the
wavelength field of the electromagnetic radiation, (400 – 700 nanometers). However,
the visual system of humans does not distinguish all the light in this range the same, it
turns it into colors.

Color and light have been discussed in section 3.1.1.

Figure 44 The Solar Spectrum

Visual aids are items of a visual manner, such as graphs, photographs, video clips etc
used in addition to spoken information. Visual aids are chosen depending on their
purpose, for example, you may want to:

40
 1. Summarise information
2. Reduce the amount of spoken
words, for example, you may
show a graph of your results
rather than reading them out
3. Clarify and show examples.
4. Create more of an impact
5. Emphasise what you're saying.
6. Enhance your credibility.
7. Engage the audience and maintain their interest.
8. Make something easier for the audience to understand.

3.2.2 Smell: Aroma Therapy

Although it is not considered one of the higher senses like the visual and auditory
senses, ​“smell is one of the most primitive and most important of the
senses.”(Atkinson, 1996) This sense is more developed by other species. All species
including human beings use this sense to help them in the survival in the environment.
It helps in detection of spoiled food or escaping gas. Differing from other senses,
smell has a direct route to the brain.

The olfactory imagery of spaces: The memory of a space that lingers around in us is
fostered by smell. Every space has its own characteristic smell. Not only by the visual
sense, can people identify their personal spaces, but also by the smell that is related to
their spaces they can define them. These smell qualities of any space provide it with
special characteristics that differentiate it from all other spaces. Lawrence found that
“​a space physically defined by partitions to assure privacy, for example, may be
perceived more communal when penetrated by unwanted sounds and smells.”
(Lawrence, 2005).

The scent can either hang heavily in the air or pass by us in a gush of air. This can
either be enhanced or subdued depending on the chosen finish; wax, varnish or polish.

41
Likewise, every city has its own collection of scents and odours, which are powerful
tools of identity. Induction of oral sensation: There is a delicate transference between
tactile and taste experiences. Also, taste is generated by the combined action of nose
and tongue. Eyes collaborate with tongue as well. It has been found that certain
colours and delicate details generate oral sensations.

The smell stimuli are the molecules given off by a substance. These molecules move
through the air and stimulate the olfactory receptors located in the nasal cavity which
helps the person to discriminate between the different aromas. Usually, one can
discriminate 10,000 to 40,000 different smells. However, women generally do better
than men.

The Effect of Aromachology Aromatic consultant John Steele highlighted the

therapeutic benefits of environmental fragrance. Nice smells in any environment,
provides a pleasant atmosphere and an encouraging environment to work and thus
increase productivity. While, bad smells create an expelling environment and force
the user to leave, which causes critical influences on productivity and efficiency.

Aromatherapy is a holistic healing treatment that uses natural plant extracts to

promote health and well-being. Sometimes it’s called essential oil therapy.
Aromatherapy uses aromatic essential oils medicinally to improve the health of the
body, mind, and spirit. It enhances both physical and emotional health.

Aromatherapy has an array of benefits. It’s said to:

1. manage pain
2. improve sleep quality
3. reduce stress, agitation, and anxiety
4. soothe sore joints
5. treat headaches and migraines
6. alleviate side effects of chemotherapy
7. ease discomforts of labor
8. fight bacteria, virus, or fungus

42
 9. improve digestion
10. improve hospice and palliative care
11. boost immunity

3.2.3 Touch: Textures

The skin is capable of reading the texture, weight, density and temperature of an
object. The tactile sense is the one that actually establishes a connection between our
body and the world. It is not just about physically touching an object but about
accepting the volume and temperature of space. Architects, such as Carlo Scarpa and
Alvar Aalto created designs that appealed to the eye and also invited one to touch and
explore.

When the architect designs a space, he/she must put into consideration the climatic
conditions of this space. Researches have proved that the human behavior in any
space can be affected by the abnormal levels of heat, cold and wind. The human skin
is the sense that is responsible for that kind of stimulus and that the human body needs
special degrees for these different stimuli to be in the comfort zone. When the human
body is in uncomforting zone it behaves abnormal.

“Traditionally, touch was thought to be a single sense. Today, it is considered to

include three distinct skin senses, one responding to pressure, another to temperature,
and the third to pain.” (Atkinson, 1996)

Many studies have shown that there is a strong relation between the ambient
temperature of any space and the behavior of the user inside this space. Any activity is
going to be enhanced at first when the temperature is being raised and then it gets
worse. Also there is strong evidence that there is a relation between heat and
aggression. Temperature is not the only stimulus that affects the human behavior, but
also the barometric pressure and altitude has a tremendous effect on it too.

Temperature effect includes both physical and psychological components. The main
physical component is the heat degree in the surrounding environment. One

43
psychological component is centered on the internal temperature of the human body,
the core temperature (deep body temperature), which affects the mood and the feeling
of stress.

The loss of tactile experience is fostered by the weakening of materiality. Natural

materials like stone and wood allow us to perceive the integrity of the built.
Machine-made materials used today fail to convey their age or properties since they
are designed to achieve ageless perfection for the building. ​Reflective glass facades
bring about alienation.

Figure 47 Survey on the effect of the finishing materials used in the psychiatric healthcare buildings in
Egypt on the mental health of the psychiatric patients. (Source: Abdel Moneim, Walid, 2000, p. 318)

Tactile Sensation of Wood:

When wood is used in the indoor environment, people have ample opportunity to
directly touch various wooden materials such as interior wall and floor materials as
well as wooden furniture. A few studies have examined the tactile sensation of wood
compared with other materials, including their psychophysiological responses.

Tactile sensation of touching three different surfaces, oiled parquet, lacquered

parquet, and laminate flooring, was investigated in Austria (Berger et al 2006). After
the participants had touched the floorings with both their hands and feet, the results
showed that the flooring with the natural oiled surface was perceived as warm, rough,
and fairly soft. The laminate flooring was perceived as cold, smooth, and hard,
whereas the parquet with lacquer was perceived as fairly cold, fairly smooth, and
fairly hard. The majority of the subjects (76% in the foot test and 72% in the hand
test) preferred the flooring with the natural surface.

44
There have been scientific researches which have concluded that naturally occurring
and even artificially fabricated wooden materials induced less stress.

Wood reflects long-wavelength light, which is perceived by humans as yellow to red

hues and might accordingly give a “warm” impressions. Wood produces little
reflectance of UV light from its surface, people may experience less stimuli and
consequently be less fatigued.

Figure 48 Variety in appearance of different kinds of wood

3.2.4 Sound: Hearing aids

Vision is directional while sound is omnidirectional. Thus, sight isolates while sound
integrates. The loss of senses in contemporary architecture can be attributed to the
ignorance of acoustic intimacy. Sound can lend characters to a space: intimacy or
monumentality, invitation or rejection, hospitality or hostility. For instance, an echo
created in a narrow street or inside an empty cathedral not only yields the spaces their
own identity but also connects you to them. But today, the buildings are designed to
absorb and censor the echo and wide open streets in cities have rejected echoes
completely. ​“Our ears have been blinded” (Pallasmaa, 2005) The form and the
volumes of a building and the materials, with which it has been built, contribute to the
sound generated in its interior and exterior spaces.

45
Some sounds have positive effects on both the psychological and the physiological
status. ​Music for instance, (not all kinds of music) could decrease the level of blood
pressure, reduce the heartbeat of the listener and minimize the production of some
stimulus hormones. As well, it could reduce the suffering from pain and increase the
feeling of relaxation and comfort.

James D. Burnett confirms that some researches and studies measured the physical
effect of the positive sounds in nature. (Gappell, 1990). Sounds like falling water,
flowing water, birds chirping, breeze, leaves falling etc induce positive feelings in
a person.

Effect of Noise:
“Auditory trauma, besides producing generalized stress reaction, produces
physiological changes in blood capillary structure, impeding the flow of red blood
cells and constructing the vascular channels. This can cause high blood pressure,
heart disease, and ulcers.” (Gappell, 1991)

Figure 49 Negative effect of Noise

Noise is considered one of the most commonly known stressors, in surveys related to
environmental psychology, of what people like and do not like in their neighborhood
or community. In these surveys and parallel studies it was found that frequent
exposure to noise is linked with severe and chronic diseases. Most of these researches
have highlighted that noise may be the main cause of a variety of physiological

46
changes that may contribute to these diseases. Other surveys discovered that high
level of noise can also lead to an increase in arousal and stress (e.g. Cohen et al.,
1986; Glass & Singer, 1972)

It is not only the physiological effect of noise that could be seen on the human being,
there is also the psychological effect. There is some evidence that noise can make
people more emotionally reactive. These evidences are concluded from studies
linking noise with hormones associated with emotions and psychological status.

“Consistent with this, research has shown that noise sensitivity is related to
annoyance at varying levels of noise and is associated with psychological disorders
and mental health (e.g., Bullen et al., 1986; Iwata, 1984; Job, 1988; Stansfield, 1992)

47
CHAPTER 4: CASE STUDIES

4.1 Live case study: MSF Foundation, Umeed ki Kiran, Delhi

Doctors Without Borders/Medecins Sans

Frontieres(MSF) is an international
Non-Governmental Organisation that runs medical
programme in 10 states in India, addressing some of
the country’s most pressing health issues and
emergencies. MSF works with community-based
organisations, police, government protection
agencies, the Health Ministry and other
stakeholders to highlight the clinic’s services and
create an effective referral system to receive and
refer survivors who need help.

MSF opened this clinic in November 2015, Umeed ki Kiran, for survivors of sexual
assault and gender-based violence. In line with the national protocol, the 24x7 clinic
provides quality treatment to survivors of sexual violence, rape and domestic
violence.

Total Area of the facility​: 116sqm

Total Ground Coverag​e: 59sqm

4.1.1 STATISTICS (as of 2018)

1. Survivors of rape treated: 91

2. Survivors of sexual violence treated: 20
3. Survivors of physical and psychological violence treated: 252
4. Counselling sessions conducted: 1393

4.1.2 LOCATION

Address: A-20, GT Karnal Rd, Mahendra Park, Jahangirpuri, Delhi, 110033

Nearest Metro station: Jahangirpuri, Yellow line

48
The clinic has a prime, and an easy-to-locate location, being on the GT Karnal road.
It’s 300 meters away from the Jahangirpuri metro station. This location was selected
because, in a survey, they found Jahangirpuri area to have the highest Gender-Based
Violence rate in Delhi.

4.1.3 AIM

The aim was to provide a holistic treatment

for SBGV survivors and create an ideal
One Stop Centre as a prototype to follow in
future.

To strengthen their goal, MSF collaborates

with a local hospital, Babu Jagjivan Lal
Memorial Hospital, where counselling is
provided by the MSF counsellors during
OPD hours.

Figure 52 Patient flow

4.1.4 PLAN

49
Their first priority was the safety, security and privacy of the survivor and hence the
facility was designed keeping the same in mind. The Ground floor is strictly
prohibited for the male office staff for the privacy of the survivors. Names of the
survivors are not asked for their comfort.

Figure 53 Floor plans

1. Reception
2. Triage Room 9. Counselling Room
3. Waiting Room 10. Children’s Counselling Room
4. Cold Chain Utility 11. Washroom
5. Counselling Room 12. Shelter Room
6. Sterilization Room 13. Break Room/Office
7. Medical Consultation Room 14. Balcony
8. Examination and Procedure Room

50
 Figure 54 Reception Figure 55 Triage Room

WAITING ROOM: ​Many a times, the patient is accompanied with a family member
or friend. They are required to wait in this room. It consists of a TV, aquarium and
toys to keep them occupied and comfortable.

Figure 56 Waiting Room

COUNSELLING ROOMS​: The patient is then taken to the counsellor where the
counsellor helps the patient. There is utmost privacy importance of this room and no
information is shared outside the same. The counsellor understands the patient’s
mental health status to ensure proper treatment further on.

Figure 57 Counselling Room Figure 58 Vocational Counselling Room

51
4 such counselling rooms are present. 1 on the ground floor and 3 on the first floor.
The first floor consists of a children’s counselling room and a vocational counselling
room in addition to the adult counselling room.

These rooms consist of a sofa, with a side table for the patient and an intimate setting
for the patient to feel comfortable and safe.

CHILDREN’S COUNSELLING ROOM: ​This rooms consists of toys, games,

drawing books and anatomical dolls. The seating and general setting of the room is
child friendly. The color of the room is blue, and they intend to add cartoon images to
walls as well, to keep the room lively.

Figure 59 Children's Counselling Room

SHELTER ROOM: ​MSF does not provide permanent living quarters for the patients
but connects them to duch shelter homes and hostels. A shelter room with 4 separate
beds is provided on the first floor for the survivors to stay upto 48 hours.

Figure 60 Shelter Room

MEDICAL CONSULTATION ROOM: ​After the counselling session is done, the

counsellor goes to medical consultation room where a doctor is present at all times.
The counsellor discusses the incident with the doctor in depth after which they come

52
to a medical analysis. The doctor, counsellor and a social worker do a risk assessment
of the patient. Accordingly, they are provided with legal aid, shelter, tertiary health
care, child protection and vocational training.

Figure 61 Medical Counselling Room Figure 62 Examination Room

EXAMINATION AND PROCEDURE ROOM: Rapid Diagnostic Test is taken in

this room. The doctor takes care of the immediate medical help required by the
survivor in this room.

Figure 63 Examination Room

OFFICE: The office is located on the first floor, with an informal setting. The room
is used for discussions and breaks.

53
4.2 No to Violence Shelter, Israel

Architect: Jacobs-Yaniv Architects + Amos Goldreich Architecture

Figure 64,65 Exterior of the No to Violence Shelter

"The shelter will provide a much-needed refuge for abused women – they arrive in a
state of real distress, these people have deep psychological problems, as do their
children, so the shelter must provide them with a tangible sense of calm and
security,” said Ruth Rasnic, Founder of No To Violence Against Women.

London firm, Amos Goldreich Architecture and Israel firm Jacobs-Yaniv Architects
came together to design a new shelter for the No to Violence Against Women charity,
which helps domestic abuse victims in Israel. This will be the charity’s first
purpose-built shelter, replacing an overcrowded, makeshift building. this shelter is
one of only a handful in the world which has been designed and built in consultation
with the staff who will occupy and run it. Led by pioneering human rights activist,
Ruth Rasnic, for international charity ‘No To Violence’, the facility will provide a
much-needed refuge for distressed and abused women and children from all localities
and backgrounds.

CONCEPT - ​Amos Goldreich: “I greatly admire the work of the artist Eduardo
Chillida and while designing this building, I recalled a particular project, ‘Okamoto’,
for which he planned to hollow out a mountain. This conjured up the idea of stone,
hollowed out from the inside, leaving it with two surfaces: a rough external one, while
the inner would be smooth and delicate. This analogy became the main concept for

54
our building which has two facades - the secure and protective exterior, and the inner
façade, giving onto the central garden, the therapeutic “heart” of the shelter.”

LOCALITY AND CONTEXT

1. Located in a quiet neighbourhood,

2. the site is surrounded by a mix of private homes and townhouses
3. is within reach of community resources like stores, jobs, clinics, schools,
parks, counseling centres and recreational facilities.

The building is thought of as a single small

village. Each family is given independent
quarters - a “house” – within the building,
separating their living space form communal
functions. A corridor – the “street” – connects
these houses to the building facilities. The
nursery is separated physically from the main
building, functioning as an ordinary nursery
with its own daily routine, allowing women to
drop their children off in the mornings, and
collect them later in the day.

The shelter includes the following:

1. independent living quarters for
up to 12 families
2. communal areas
3. a kindergarten
4. a computer room
5. laundry facilities
6. Kitchens
7. a refectory

55
 8. staff accommodation (including social workers, a child psychologist,
housemothers, a child care worker, and a part-time lawyer)
9. office areas

FACADES
1. a secure, protective external façade
2. an inner façade leading onto a central garden, the therapeutic “heart” of the
shelter. This courtyard plays the pivotal role of providing visual connections
between staff and families, women and children, and serving as a meeting
place for residents.

Figure 68 Courtyard view Figure 69 Model of the facility

“It was vital to ensure that while respecting the need for privacy, staff should also
have clear sightlines overseeing all communal areas,” said Amos Goldreich. “The
needs of the building’s users are inevitably complex – this will be a challenging but
immensely rewarding project.”

SUSTAINABLE PRACTICES:
1. materials will be locally sourced
2. natural ventilation will be the
priority
3. water will be heated by
photovoltaic energy.
4. Special attention has been paid to
the landscaping plan, donated by
US landscape architect Eran Schlesinger, which features native planting

56
 5. an herb garden for use by kitchen staff.
Other professional workers:
1. Psychotherapist
2. drama or arts therapists
3. volunteers such as:
3.1 cosmeticians
3.2 hairdressers
3.3 reflexology
3.4 martial arts practitioners
3.5 helping children with their studies and computer skills.

GREEN SANCTUM
The green sanctum of the inner courtyard plays a crucial role as a ​meeting place for
the residents​. It also serves a functional purpose, ​providing optimum visual
connections between the house mother and the families​, as well as between the
women and their children​. The surrounding internal corridor (or ‘street’) c​onnects
the inside and outdoor spaces and creates a free-flowing space in which women
and children can interact, while at the same time maintaining mutual sight lines
between them and the staff.

Figure 71 Ground floor plan Figure 72 First floor plan

57
4.3 Ostra Hospital’s Acute Psychiatry Ward, Sweden

Client: Västfastigheter
Location: Göteborg, Sweden Status:
Completed 2009 Area: 18,000 sqm
Awards: Forum’s Healthcare Building Award 2007, Second place – WAN Healthcare
Building of the Year Award

Figure 73 Exterior of the Ostra Hospital's Acute Psychiatry Ward

Careful consideration of hard facts, such as choice of materials, site conditions and
the layout of the care units, runs parallel to deliberations about architecture quality,
such as the path of daylight into rooms and gardens and the tactile qualities of the
materials. The client decides the activities and qualities which a new psychiatry
department is to contain. Suggesting how those wishes can best be provided for is the
architect’s responsibility.

The architects aimed to achieve a free and open atmosphere by giving the buildings a
friendly, respectful and welcoming character where the security aspects are always
present but are never allowed to characterise the environment.

Normality has been the keyword when the architects tried to work their way away
from institutionalisation. This example can be viewed in terms of the architectural
parameters established earlier as follows:

58
LIGHTING

1. Maximizing the intrusion of natural light into the building has been achieved
by planning small courtyards, inaccessible , large glazed section with greenery
inside and patient care units around them.
2. Glass verandas which are a blend of traditional Swedish verandas with large
expanse of glazing and an elaborate grid of window bars ,serve twin purpose
of letting in more light and providing a transparent barrier.
3. In addition to the inaccessible courtyards which are also smaller in size, there
are courtyards near the common areas which help meet the sunlight
requirement of the patients.

Figure 74 Small courtyards incorporated in planning to maximize penetration of natural light

COLOUR

1. The colours that are most prominent are white, green and a warm hue of
yellow.
2. The ceiling panels are Off white and walls ,where wood cladding is not
suitable, are painted white
3. The centre has a prominent entrance axis around which the majority of the
planning is done. It gives off warm hue of yellow because of all the wood used
in the flooring, frames of windows doors , the furniture.
4. Prominence of the warm yellow tone is further ensured by the use of yellow
films over the windows
5. The flooring is still of grey limestone where it is not wooden.

59
 6. Green is prominent because of the excessive use of glass around enclosures of
greenery like the courtyards
7. The exterior displays panels of orange as it acts as a mood up-lifter.

Figure 75 Application of coloured films over windows to control what colour of light fills the interiors

Figure 76 Orange on the exterior and Green from the planters to uplift the mood- Colour Use

MATERIALS AND TEXTURE

1. A clear dominance of wood can be seen because of all the psychological

benefits that come with it as discussed earlier.
2. Naturally occurring stones have also been used for flooring at some places like
pale grey limestone

INDOOR AIR QUALITY

1. Large sizes of fenestrations and employment of courtyard design ensure

proper ventilation which consequently reduces the amount of pollutants in the
air inside the building
2. As there can be no fans in the interiors in accordance with the safety of the
patients, artificial ventilation systems have been installed and functioning in
great condition. Hence good IAQ is nothing but assured.

FLEXIBILITY OF ARCHITECTURE

1. The whole concept of having personal patient wards opening up into well-lit
courtyards and other recreational activities shows how the project as a whole
has adopted flexibility from the stereotypical designing that is prevalent in
such institutional buildings.

60
 2. The patients can move around their furniture, making them feel flexible and in
control.
3. All the care units have direct contact with a courtyard garden space which
contributes to an increased sense of freedom and offers the recreational
powers of nature.

Figure 77 First Floor Plan of Ostra Psychiatry ward depicting pioneering change in designing
circulation for psychiatric wards.

An evaluation, funded by ARQ – The Foundation for

Architectural Research, shows that physical restraint
techniques such as sedation and mechanical restraint
has been reduced by a third and almost halved in
numbers respectively. The staff’s experience of threat
and violence has been significantly reduced as has
their sick leave.

61
CHAPTER 5: ANALYSIS AND CONCLUSION

The scope of the mutual relation between interior architecture and human psychology
is wide, due to the multiple interaction with social, cultural, physical and
environmental factors.

The successful design for achieving welfare and happiness of interior architecture
depends on how the designer finds a balance between the most dominant factors such
as identity, privacy, safety, accessibility, functionality, flexibility, community
interaction, and the provision of adequate space, should be given due weight.

Further, to prove my research, I conducted a survey of 94 people from ages 18-60 on

how people respond in a given space. Here are the findings of the same:

1. After a long day, which type of lighting would you prefer?

a) Cool lighting b) warm lighting

Answer: 84% of the people preferred warm lighting over cool lighting due to
its soothing effect.
2. In your study room/office, which of the following would you prefer?

Answer: 71.3% of people prefer a flexible setting due to its more adaptive
nature.

62
3. In your home, do you have rooms with red/dark blue/orange/black walls?

Answer: Only 7.4% of the people have dark colored walls. These can be
dramatic and have an adverse(possibly negative) effect on our mental health.
These colored are prefered for highlighting main walls instead of using them
as the main base color.
4. What is the color of the walls in your bedroom?

Answer: 66% of people prefer light colors like white and cream. These colors
are well-received and have a positive effect on the mind.
5. Have you ever had trouble finding a particular room in a hospital? If yes, then
why?
Answer. 10/94 did not experience any problem. 84 people said they said they
faced issues due to the following reasons:

1. Confusing planning 6. Too many intersecting

2. Poor signages corridors without signages
3. Overcrowding 7. Not enough floor plans
4. Weirdly constructed building hence lack of indication
with lots of corridors.
5. Unorganized sector

63
Post-traumatic stress is associated with negative thoughts and feelings which can
cause aggression, depression and anxiety. This adverse effect can be minimised with
the help of architecture. A calmer environment is required for them to have a speedy
recovery.

Based on several researches by architects and psychologists, and the survey I

conducted, the success of setting up interior architectural design is with active
psychological conception judged by how the design fulfills values, needs, preferences
and satisfaction of users.

64
CHAPTER 6: DESIGN RECOMMENDATIONS

(A) IDENTITY

1. The design should demonstrate the background and motives of residents.

2. The design should demonstrate the structure of religions, cites, families and
neighborhoods.
3. Usage of local materials and techniques such as plaster, stone and marble.
4. Architectural treatments of openings, windows and doors, especially in the
main entrance framing and decoration.
5. The diversity and richness of arts and architectural treatments that belong to
the local and national tradition.
6. Social and special niches, signs and icons.
7. Modern influence by western and international style concepts in comparison to
the accustomed norm of the traditional architecture

(B) FUNCTIONALITY AND FLEXIBILITY

1. Apply appropriate design for windows and doors to adopt all diverse physical
abilities.
2. Adopt the concept of one space that can reflect different social functions.
3. Choose appropriate colors for switches and sockets that contrast with its
background to be reached easily.
4. Equipment such as fans, air conditioning or the fuse box are easy to locate and
operate.

Figure 79 different types and colors of switches

65
 5. Design the living room to accommodate various functions and sizes of group
activities.
6. Select a wall system that offers a complete range of options from private space
to open plans
7. In public buildings, the lobby should be broken down into smaller areas,
where groups can gather.
8. Make multiple furniture configurations available.
9. Ensure that the design provides contemporary technology requirements.
10. Select durable floors, ceilings and walls finishing materials.
11. Ensure adequate cable interfaces with precise placements to offers appropriate
degrees of flexibility.
12. The kitchen design should incorporate work surfaces for both standing and
seated use.
13. Increase the size of desk tops surfaces and maximize vertical space.

(C) ACCESSIBILITY AND CIRCULATION

1. Approaches from streets toward a building or space should be leveled, clearly

identified, and slip resistant.

2. Entrances should be clearly defined and furnished with adequate light

66
 3. Use signs to identify the paths of horizontal and vertical circulation systems.
4. Lobbies should accommodate visitors with waiting areas and provide
information about the space.
5. Halls and corridors should provide safe and adequate circulation between
space units.
6. Stairs to the upper level should be suitable for people with disabilities.
7. Elevator should have adequate space in comparison with the volume of use.
8. Elevator should be visible with wide-angle from entrance.
9. Let room's space design allow access to furniture, storage, windows and
appliances.

(D) HEALTH AND SAFETY CONCERNS

1. Ensure safety fence with secured access to the interior space.

2. Signs should be useful with adequate size with the right orientation and clear
text and figures.
3. Avoid sudden changes of level which could trip people, if they are present, it
must be made clearly visible with contrasting colors.
4. Convenient entrances, people should be able to safely enter and exit without
obstruction.

Figure 81 Safety measures for a staircase

5. Make the floor slip-resistant, non-reflective light, glare-free and easy to clean.
6. Solid core construction for interior spaces doors.

67
 7. Enhance the levels of lighting where it’s needed, it should also be easy to
control and adjust.
8. Enhance the implementation of safety practices with technical equipment such
as intercom system and security cameras with monitoring response service.
9. Stairs should be in appropriate width, right steps dimension, strong handrails
and adequate lighting.
10. The appropriate distribution of appliances in accurate positions such as stoves
and air conditioners.
11. Install automatic smoke detector system.
12. Choose comfortable and safe furniture with healthy design.
13. Maximize the daylight availability through opening (windows - doors)
dimensions, materials and design.

(E) SURVEILLANCE

1. windows and other openings should allow for easy viewing of high-activity
areas, as well as of street activity outside. For example, including ample
windows in highly-trafficked spaces, such as building lobbies, allows
occupants to clearly see activity on the street and identify potential threats
before they arrive.
2. orienting offices to face major
corridors encourages occupants
to take note of their surroundings
and can facilitate early threat
detection.
3. The creation of open, visible
spaces should be carefully
balanced with measures
controlling and restricting
building access, to ensure that the
open spaces themselves do not
increase potential threats.

68
 4. wayfinding strategies: Signs, placards and other markers should guide all
visitors to a central area upon entering the building, with minimal opportunity
to disperse into other rooms.
5. Lighting, artwork and other interior design elements should subconsciously
enforce this direction by emphasizing spaces where designers most wish to
draw the eye and direct visitors’ footsteps.
6. Secure designs should also limit vehicle access and, as much as possible,
remove a building from the radius of external threats. For example, an exterior
perimeter, even one simply demarcated by bollards or planters, will prevent
vehicles from directly approaching a facility, and distance it from any
accidents, explosions or other threats that might occur on nearby streets.
7. Other external features, such as plazas and courtyards (provided they are
highly visible and easily monitored) are also useful as buffer zones.

(F) OUTDOOR AND OPEN SPACES

1. Create visual harmony between the indoor spaces and outdoor spaces.
2. Appropriate fence design, with regards to form, height, and the degree of
transparency with exterior spaces
3. Ensure that entrances, openness and pathways as well as seating area should
be provided.
4. Ground surfaces should be a mix of hard and soft surfaces according to the
nature of use.

Figure 83 Green courtyard

69
5. Design should be planned to minimize negative factors like exterior noise and
smoke.
6. Sufficient night-time lighting to enhance safety, security and ensure efficient
usage of space.
7. Design should be planned to enhance the visibility degree.
8. The selection of outdoor furniture should depend on their strength, durability,
beauty and appropriate formation.

70
 REFERENCES

JOURNAL ARTICLE:

a. PhD Ali Namazian, Armin Mehdipour (2013) - Psychological Demands of the

Built Environment, Privacy, Personal Space and Territory in Architecture-
International Journal of Psychology and Behavioral Sciences 2013, 3(4):
109-113
b. Ricci, Natali, "The Psychological Impact of Architectural Design" (2018).
CMC Senior Theses. 1767.
c. Treatment of Posttraumatic Stress Disorder in Rape Victims: A Comparison
Between Cognitive-Behavioral Procedures and Counseling- Journal of
Consulting and Clinical Psychology(1991), Vol. 59, No. 5, 715-723
d. Foa E.B. & Rothbaum B.A. (1998) Treating the trauma of rape: Cognitive
behavioral therapy for PTSD. New York: Guilford Press
e. Heba-Talla Hamdy Mahmoud- Interior Architectural Elements that Affect
Human Psychology and Behavior DOI: 10.21625/archive.v1i1.112
f. Sona C.N. and Shailaja Nair (2014)- Understanding Multisensory Architecture
g. Walid abdel moneim abdel kader- Does Design Affect Our Senses?
h. Daniel L. Ledford (2014‘Psychology of Space’: The Psycho-Spatial
Architecture of Paul Rudolph
i. Zhao Ruoxi (2016) - Architectural Space and Psychological Feelings
j. Avishag Shemesh1, Moshe Bar, Yasha Jacob Grobman (2015) - Space And
Human Perception –Exploring Our Reaction to Different Geometries of
Spaces
k. The New England Journal of Medicine (NJEM 1995, 332:234-7)
l. Dawkins, Rachel (2010)- Engaging Sensibilities: An exploration into
Architectural Techniques for Multisensory Environments, New Zealand.

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 APPENDIX A

Transcript of interview held with Ms. Indu(Counsellor working with Umeed ki Kiran
in the OPD of Babu Jagjivan Ram Memorial Hospital) and Ms. Manpreet Kaur(Social
Worker at Umeed Ki Kiran facility)

Q. ​What all facilities are available in Umeed Ki Kiran OSC?

The facility includes a triage room, waiting area for the attendees, a cold chain room,
a sterilization room, medical consultation, counselling sessions for adults as well as
children and temporary shelter. We do not provide legal aid or permanent shelters.
We connect the patient to shelter homes by the government and private. We help them
connect to NGOs that provide legal help. We also provide pick up and drop service
for the convenience of the patient due to safety, comfort and economic status reasons.
Furthermore, we provide the patient with vocational training options if they are
interested in doing so.

Q. Are doctors and counsellors available at all times in the facility?

Yes, we have 4 doctors who work on 6-8 shifts, 9 counsellors and social workers.
Counselling sessions can go on all night. I, myself, have spent the sessions till 3 in the
morning. The facility is open 24x7.

Q. Do the patients face any struggle with the procedure? How do you take care
of the same?

The main struggle with the procedure is having to help with survivor come to terms
with the reality as well as making them understand domestic abuse/rape is not okay or
normal. Counsellors help along with this process.

Q. Seeing this on a daily basis, would you say that there is a bias in terms of
focusing efforts in finding cures for physical ailments than mental ailments? Is
there a lack of awareness regarding the same?

There exists a bias due to lack of education. Mental health awareness is absent in the
lower section of the society. Many of the patients do not believe anything wrong has

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happened to them. I often listen to them say that a husband can do what he wants, he
got angry and it's not a big deal. We educate them about domestic abuse and help
them understand the difference between right and wrong. There are cases of
post-traumatic stress which continues for a long time but unfortunately, many women
back out or are forced to do so by their families due to the stigma.

Q. Do you see cases of relapse often?

Many women turn away from the procedure but come back after a few months saying
the same thing happened again. This causes a permanent trauma. Even after therapy,
we see a few cases of relapse.

Q. A comment on how the architectural setting of therapy rooms/facilities should

be.

A good place for therapy would definitely be one following certain architectural
guidelines. It is important to have a lot of greenery, wood is used a lot, well-lit,
evening if there is like a painting or a sculpture they are generally of plants and
animals, natural things. Other than this, ceiling heights, to counter claustrophobic
feelings, access to natural light is very important.

Wood is again used because it just gets you close to nature. A lighter tone of it should
be used. Even the clothes of people around you in a place that has a significant
impact. That’s why here my facility you will see the receptionist, the staff and even
myself, always go for lighter shades of grey, white, etc. With facilities providing
psychiatric care, there are no dark colours. Darker colours put you in a reflective state
of mind and you don’t want that with patients suffering from PTSD or Depression or
Anxiety.

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 APPENDIX B

SPACE AND HUMAN PERCEPTION – Exploring Our Reaction to Different

Geometries of Spaces
AUTHORS:
1. AVISHAG SHEMESH- Faculty of Architecture and Town Planning, Technion –
Israel Institute of Technology, Haifa, Israel
2. MOSHE BAR - Brain Research Center, Bar Ilan University, Ramat-Gan, Israel
3. YASHA JACOB GROBMAN - Faculty of Architecture and Town Planning,
Technion – Israel Institute of Technology, Haifa, Israel

There is now evidence that angular hexagons are less pleasing than round circles (Bar
and Neta, 2008). Furthermore, people with low expertize in the fields of design prefer
curved over angular shapes when they are simple (circles and hexagons), while
experts show such curved versus sharp preference bias for the more complex
polygons (Silvia and Barona in press, as mentioned by Bar and Neta, 2008). Reber,
Schwarz et al. (2004) also discuss the expertise influence, claiming that training in the
arts gives meaning to complex structures which results in an additional increase in
processing ease. Vartanian, Navarrete et al (2013) conducted a functional magnetic
resonance imaging study that examines how variation in contour impacts aesthetic
judgments and approach avoidance decisions. Their results demonstrated that
participants were more likely to judge curvilinear rather than rectilinear spaces as
beautiful.

EXPERIMENT DESCRIPTION
4.1. THE SETTING
Using the Visualization lab in the architecture faculty, which contains a 3-D
immersive theatre consisting of a 2.4 x 7.0 m screen with a 75° field of view, three
high-definition projection and motion sensors, participants experienced an inner
virtual space, characterized by different forms. A VE setting offers participants a
sense of presence in the space (Kieferle and Wössner, 2001). Furthermore, Humans
that experience freewill exploration of virtual environments can demonstrate a wide

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range of behaviours and responses similar to their naturalistic exploration of real
world environments, according to Morie, Iyer et al (2005).

4.2. THE VIRTUAL SPACES

Planning and deciding over the specific geometry of spaces was complex, as these
spaces are not only a platform for the examinee but an integral subject of examination
by itself. In order to examine aesthetic judgment towards orthogonal versus curved
shapes, and simple symmetrical versus complex asymmetrical shapes, we chose to
build four types of spaces with similar proportions to be the setup of the experiment:
(1) Square symmetrical space (Sq).
(2) Round domed space or half a
sphere, symmetrical (Ro).
(3) Sharp edged space, tilted
surfaces (walls, ceiling),
unsymmetrical (Sh).
(4) Curvy space with rounded
smooth surfaces (with no corners),
unsymmetrical (Cu).
The idea was to examine two pairs of spaces: the shape of a square and a shape of a
sphere were compared to complex forms with breaks and curves. They also
differentiate by their symmetry (two symmetrical forms versus two unsymmetrical
forms). Openness and room proportions are matters of relevance (Franz, von der
Heyde et al., 2005) and should be dealt with in another separate experiment.
Nevertheless, in order to perform an optimal comparison of geometry impact over
user, all designs had to maintain comfortable proportions and a sense of human scale.
A space too small might create an automated feeling of suffocation, while a space too
large might create discomfort or immediate excitement. As such, all spaces designed
to be approximately the same size

4.3. EXPERIMENT PROCESS

Examinees were asked to practice the 3-D goggles and joystick use in order to gain
expertise and a sense of control over the VizTech XL software system. Every

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participant was asked to wander around an indefinite room which lacks any certain
designation and look at famous pictures. This also set participant’s mind at ease
before starting the experiment. As the actual experiment begun, the participant entered
the space by “walking” through a standard corridor and entering a door. This stage is
important, as researchers found that entering a room or walking through doorways can
facilitate forgetting or evoke one’s memory (Ballard, Hayhoe et al., 1997; Radvansky
and Copeland, 2006). Wang and Spelke (2000) found that human navigation through
a layout in an unfamiliar environment depends on an updating representation process
of target's positioning relative to the self, which occurs during movement. Participants
were asked to “walk” towards the chair after entering space, explore the space and
leave (through the same door) as they finish. Order of spaces was changed randomly.
5.1 PARTICIPANTS
Two groups of 21 people per group participated in the experiment. The first group
(Group E) contained students (52.3% women) from the fields of architecture,
landscape architecture, interior design and industrial design studies. The second group
included 21 people (33.3% women). This group consisted of non-experts: people who
are not connected to design studies (Group NE). Participants were asked to mention
where they grew up (type of locality and residence) in order to check possible past
experience influence.
5.2 PREFERENCES OF SPACES
Both groups of experts and non-experts preferred asymmetric spaces over symmetric,
with one main difference: group E showed a tendency to prefer space Sh (mean of
3.5) while group NE showed a tendency to prefer space Cu (mean of 3.3), (Table 1).
Group NE showed a slightly higher standard deviation in symmetric spaces level of
preference than group E (NE, Sq = 1.7, E, Sq = 1.6, NE, Ro = 1.8, E, Ro = 1.5).
Group E seemed to have a higher standard deviation in asymmetric spaces (NE, Sh =
1.8, E, Sh = 1.9, NE, Cu = 1.7, E, Cu = 1.8). A larger amount of participants is needed
in order to achieve a possible significance. Results in the open description part of the
questionnaire revealed a preference tendency of group NE towards Cu space (Table
2). NE group may lack skills of space interpretation, which may explain this lower
correspondence between classification and open writing data.

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 Figure 85 Experts vs. Non-Experts preferences for forms

5.3. THOUGHTS AND FEELINGS TOWARD SPACES

As expected, group NE felt more pleasant in spaces that are more familiar to them.
They showed great interest toward the Cu space, as 90.5% of them found this space
interesting (²(1)=4.725, P<0.05, Rcrem=0.335, p<0.5). They also found this space
much prettier than other spaces (and relatively more efficient in contrast to group E).
Most participants in group E showed smaller differentiation between categories (Sq
space is an exception). Space Ro tented to seem more interesting and pretty to them
than to group NE.

Figure 86 Experts vs. Non-Experts on the different features of different forms

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