EnvironMental: using Biophilia to create a mental health support facility in Johannesburg

Abstract

In South Africa there is a major issue with a lack of mental health services and accessibility of mental health facilities. In the 2002 Mental Health Care Act it states that mental health care users have a right to quality care. The act looks towards pushing widely distributed community-based services in the form of CMHSs (Community mental health services) as a more effective method of giving everyone access to support for mental health issues. Within the research, I will be looking into how mental health spaces could be created for better clinical outcomes within mental health care users which included the use of complementary therapy in the form of various types of farming. This is investigated through the lens of biophilia and biophilic design. Through desktop research and interviews with professionals and experts in the field of psychology and biophilia information was found to inform a community mental health support facility. As the proposal required expansive views but still remain accessible, Frankenwald was chosen as the site for the intended proposal due to a variety of reasons that are mentioned in the report. This also gave the opportunity to reuse buildings on site to ensure a lighter impact of the design that was informed by biophilic principles. The resulting building uses biophilic principles to ensure the building has a relationship to nature, community and landscape. This will ensure better accessible mental health care that is of high quality that also allows for better clinical outcomes