Sanctuaries of the Heart: Perception, Phenomenology and the Architecture of Salutogenic Healing

Abstract

The thesis investigates the role of architecture as an active agent of healing by redefining salutogenic design through the lens of spatial phenomenology. It draws from the author’s own lived experience with mood disorders as well as extensive interdisciplinary research. The paper critiques historic, as well as modern healthcare approaches and treatment methods for mental health, with case studies such as Bethlem Royal Hospital and more sterile hospitals of today. In contrast, it studies the ancient healing methods that integrate the mind, body and spirit through spatial symbolism and rituals.

Additionally, the project incorporates Maggie Keswick Jencks’ diaries through the lens of Critical Discourse Analysis, to understand a patient’s perspective when they navigate healthcare facilities. The thesis further studies the impact of the diaries in the form of a detailed case study of the Maggie Centre. Other case studies also contribute to understanding nature, materiality and sensory experience which combine under the umbrella term of spatial phenomenology and often nurtures positive recovery. Central to this research is salutogenesis, an idea that can be reframed to fit in the architectural narrative. This results in a proposed design of a mental wellness facility, located on the banks of the Grand River, a site with rich history and ecological vitality. The design serves as a manifesto for salutogenic design, choreographing light, sound, scent, texture and time, it dissolves the Cartesian split between mind and body and creates a space which contributes actively in the healing process.