STRATEGIES USED WHILE DESIGNING A

REHABILITATION CENTRE FOR DRUG ADDICTS.

1.Kinesthetics and landscaping
“Kinesthesia is the exploration of our environment through movement;
this can be
movement with the eyes or with our body…”
The sense of movement in a space, deriving from the combination of the Greek words
‘kinisi’ and ‘aisthisi’ has been said to affect the way the individual reacts to the building, how
it marks their behaviour, mood, how it creates and maintains a positive or negative attitude
to the particular situation they are facing. Architecture can become a strong determinant in
the successful kinesthetics of individuals,, particularly in the case of people with
psychological imbalances such as drug addicts, who have joined therapeutic communities
seeking to regain the peace of their inner self in order to build or regain their social identity.
So the way they are able to physically interact with their surroundings, the kinesthetics of
human bodies, can be said to be decisive in how they adapt to their daily routine in a group
community. landscape can also contribute to a heightened positive kinesthesia in
therapeutic communities, with Ling providing the case study of The Good Samaritan
Regional Medical Centre in Arizona, whereby the space triggers the senses through an
award winning health design. The surrounding garden awakens “…patients’ senses of
sight, smell and touch, prompting body movement by inspiring the patient
to explore the garden”. Water flowing through the garden as well as proximity of
plants to all patients, allows, as pointed out in the Ling paper, the interactive sense of touch.

2. Light and shadow

Architecture is the masterly, correct and magnificent play of volumes
brought
together in light ...the history of architecture is the history of the struggle
for light.”
Light and particularly the life-giving rays of the sun, have been well documented as a major
determinant of vitality and well-being, more so in therapeutic environments where such
positive natural stimulants can go a long way towards developing the desired attitude to
individual change. In therapeutic architecture therefore, the way sunlight is utilized is one of
the factors in creating a healthy environment and psychological motivation. The way the
corridors are lit, the way the windows are placed throughout the building to reflect warmth
and how light and shadow appears in the space, can affect the balance or imbalance of
rooms, always in conjunction with colour, shape, interior design and landscape features.
Once again it’s all about the way the senses perceive the surrounding environment, the
degree that space resonates with the individual self. Marilyne Andersen of MIT is amongst a
group of young architects and researchers who have become increasingly aware of the
importance of incorporating sunlight in building design.
Natural light and the sun’s rays are recognised as elements capable of promoting healing
and thus should form an integral part of the design of buildings constructed specifically for
rehabilitation. Benedetti has proved that patients exposed to an amplified concentration of
natural sunlight perceive less stress, require less medication and even experience less pain.
Sunlight can also be perceived as a form of psychological motivation in its utilisation in the
creation of a healthy, therapeutic environment. The balance or imbalance of a space can so
easily be altered through the play of light and always in combination with forms, colours and
natural elements. The quality of light can be manipulated and adapted to ultimately create
the ability of transcending individuals into an alternate state of consciousness that could
essentially be recollected in memory, after its lived experience.

3. Colours
Colours can be a major contributing factor towards patients regaining health. She describes
green as a colour which is psychologically perceived as providing safe refuge, while coral,
peach and yellow are seen as warmer choices for a dining room and blue is considered
relaxing. In her book ‘Design details for health’, in which she associates good health with the
positive aura of space, she argues that warm color hues are often associated with
extroverted responses and social contact.
“…A monochromatic colour scheme throughout the building may be
perceived as
institutional…It can contribute to sensory deprivation which leads to
disorganization
of brain function…”
Colour psychology has also been identified as a tool capable of improving human
behaviour, moods and emotions.
Dalke has discovered that both architecture and colour have the ability to visually stimulate
patients and the surrounding society; this can provoke and elevate positive or negative
emotions.
These emotions are triggered through our mental perceptions of colours in relation to the
association of these colours with certain past personal events or cultural beliefs. Society’s
emotional response to colour is based on shared psychological associations of certain
emotions to certain colours.
Architecture should integrate the power of colour into modern healing environments to
evoke and stimulate certain emotional responses and use it as a tool to manipulate and
control the experience of space as desired.

Casestudy:

Groot Klimmendaal Rehabilitation Revalidation Centre-Arnhem

Netherlands
This is the magnificence of ‘therapeutic’ glass where the sunlight is ever-present,
bringing residents as close to nature as they might ever hope to be. The overarching
characteristic of this two-storey glass rehabilitation centre is direct contact with nature, a
landscaping decision that places this building in an idyllic forest environment, but not at a
great distance from the city of Arnhem, as the sports facilities of the centre are also used by
the community, as a means of encouraging addicts to feel a sense of belonging.
“Despite its size, the brown-golden anodized aluminum facade allows the
nearly
14.000sqm building to blend in with its natural surroundings”.
Improving positive kinesthesis is clearly the concept guiding the continuity between exterior
and interior, through an innovative height glazing along the central area of the community
that connects the internal aspects of the building in a subtle but importantly practical
design, which ensures that residents don’t feel enclosed, cut off. The brightly lit façade of
the restaurant establishes warm emotions during day meals, with the hall windows virtually
touching the surrounding forest in a welcoming environment.

All recreation, fitness and other common use spaces such as the gym, swimming pool,
restaurant and theatre are located in close proximity at entrance level. The facilities are also
used by residents’ families’ as well as members of the local community. The philosophy
behind facilities being used by locals is that the patient, who is placed at the centre of the
community gradually, begins to feel re-integrated. The concept behind the design is first and
foremost, care and therapy not through detachment and negative seclusion, but designing
the building and its spaces to become part of the surroundings and the community. A centre
designed to encourage the self-awareness of the residents about their problems and
enhance their degree of responsibility in overcoming their problems through their own
personal involvement, but also interaction with the group. The open environment of the
interior design is set to promote self-confidence, with great emphasis also placed on
recreational activities and therapy through arts expression. Architect Koen van Velsen made
sure no part of the building is detached by creating a direct route between the different
floors, as well as alternative routes to reach different areas. This brings about both a
positive sense of physical movement, as well as a community spirit. The interplay between
light and shadows is also evident, in combination to other psychologically boosting effects,
such as colour and shapes.

In practical terms, the design of mechanical and electrical installations was energy saving,
particularly through thermal storage. Designed to be easily maintained for a long period of
time, the rehabilitation revalidation centre forms a sustainable multiuse,closely-knit building
exuding stimulating therapeutic components. A buildingarranged not just for use exclusively
by residents but also the community, forging afeeling of social belonging for everyone.
Complex in its web of connected floors, rooms and public spaces, but also simple in its
desire to unite and encourage residents to use and benefit from the whole area, making it
practical and accessible, it establishes continuity and a diversity of use, utilizing nature, light,
colour and kinesthetics. This was the winner of the 2011 Architecture Festival in the field of
Health.

Conclusion
A building must be a tribute to harmonious movement and motivation in a surrounding
space.