The Careful Manifesto; manifesting health in architecture

Details

Supervisors

Chanvillard, Cécile ; Levy, Déborah ; Ledent, Gérald ; Fontaine, Christine

Faculty

Faculté d'architecture, d'ingénierie architecturale, d'urbanisme

Degree label

Master [120] en architecture, à finalité spécialisée (Bruxelles)

Abstract

If it is proven that our architecture has curative effects, should architects assume the same responsibility as doctors when it comes to the general well-being of our societies? Born from the motivation to bridge the gap between architecture and health, this manifesto regroups the collective efforts of authors, whether architects or inhabitants, who take action towards better care and well-being. This is a series of heartfelt true stories that are being lived and practiced by people like my grandmother, my neighbor, my friend, and maybe you… the reader. In the Middle East, and over the years, there has been an increase in cancer and terminally ill patients requiring care. In Lebanon, care units like palliative care and cancer centers are placed internally within the dull walls of a hospital built to cure and not heal. This paper explores the notion that space has an integral role in accompanying a patient throughout his journey. Questions on whether a hospital can become hospitable or even an intriguing place for exchange in the city became the basis of the first architectural approach. While questions on whether care can become the city itself bring us to test the theory of home care pushed to its limits. I hope that showcasing successful precedent-based designs like Maggie’s and experiments such as Ulrich’s “view through windows” prove the correlation between architecture and health. Finally, this thesis calls for action on all practitioners of the built environment and sheds light on their duty toward the health of our communities.