Less sick, more healing spaces : the case for palliative architecture

Abstract

Architecture deals primarily with spaces; spaces which house people and condition both their behaviour and psychosocial state of being. A number of buildings can be described as dull, blunt and depressive, while on the other hand, a true architectural experience leaves the user thrilled, joyful and with a positive i':lttitude. The nim of pnllintive C:1rc:hitec:t1m" ic; thP lr:itter, where architects milnipulilte physicill spilce to create an experience which heals the psychosocial scars of dying individuals, without actually curing their illnesses. Although this concept emerged in the mid-twentieth century, only recently milestone advances have been observed, especiolly since the advent of environmental psychology. Architects can nowadays consult psychologists to understand scientifically the effects of space on dying individuals, and how design decisions can either lift one's spirits or else rrush a dying person's hope. A case in point is Maaaie's Cancer Caring Trust, which was envisioned by Maggie Keswick Jencks in the last decade of the twentieth century. Since its conception, the Trust have erected a number of Cancer Caring Centres, which act as a place of solace, where one can receive complimentary treatment, psychological and emotional support, or else spend the day quietly and relaxed. Maggie's Centres go beyond being a beautiful building, and instead capture physically the latest efforts performed by an extensive list of psychologists, architects, social workers and other healthcare related personnel.