Abstract:

How can architecture facilitate psychological recovery and social reintegration for individuals with schizophrenia?

Architecture is examined as a tool for supporting psychological recovery and social reintegration for individuals with schizophrenia re-entering society after psychiatric institutionalisation: a practice historically rooted in control, confinement, and correction, often at the expense of autonomy, choice, and dignity. The project seeks to re-articulate architectural practice to prioritise empathy, agency, and relational recovery, particularly when designing for those navigating trauma and cognitive difference. Through design tests, a transitional, mixed-use housing facility is developed that provides short-term, specialised support for people living with schizophrenia. The research investigates socially responsive urbanism to discover how architecture can operate as both a building and a care system. It proposes models of therapeutic healthcare environments through material, programmatic, and emotional legibility.