How can the qualities of nurturing space have a positive affect on ones inner depressive state?
1550 BC, in the oldest medical journal ever discovered, the Ancient Egyptians described what we know today as depression. Over three and a half thousand years later and depression affects internationally around 21 million people, and rising. This indicates that we have not learnt adequate treatment methods from the times of our brothers of antiquity. This thesis will investigate a new design typology of treatment for people affected by depression in today’s western society. Nurturing spaces that offers refuge, support, therapy and friendship in a homely, casual, secure and natural environment. This design research will explore five broad concepts of nurturing space to identify specific nurturing qualities to utilise in the design process. These include; homeliness, atmospheres, place, volumes and materiality. These specific qualities will be explored through theoretical research in addition to identifying correlations in both interviews with people about personalised qualitative spaces, as well as observations in existing architectural structures. Through the amalgamation of these findings in addition to my personal creative input, the design research of these nurturing spaces should add an unprecedented contribution to the treatment of depression that could not only address the rising number of people affected by the illness today but, could also segue into much needed more efficient and more humanised treatments of other mental illnesses.
Literature review
Depression is not discriminatory, it affects each and every one of us in some time of our lives: some worse than others. Therefore, in the treatment of depression, is it superfluous to outline the infinite number of stress triggers influencing our state of mind and behaviour, nor the multitude of prescriptive medications that ease, but do not resolve the psychological and physiological symptoms of depression. In the successful treatment of depression, it is my design belief, that it more important to understand the process in which we deal with stress before it reaches the point of clinical depression. It is within this process, in addition to, exploring a broader theoretical and architectural precedent base, that qualitative spatial design can contribute to the individual’s mental evolution in addressing their personal habitual behaviour to inhibit dangerous levels of stress that cause depressive episodes.
In the context of today’s faster paced, post-industrial Western society, it is no surprise that increased speed of life is also speeding up the number of stressful triggers affecting our population (Honore, 2005, p.27) Although in theory, it would be logical, to simply slow the clogs of today’s fast paced society, in practice this idealistic phenomenon seems not only dictatorial, but also highly unachievable. General Adaptation Syndrome is the name given to the three phase physiological process governing our reaction to external stresses (Nuckols, 2007, p.2). Phase one is alarm, two is resistance and three is exhaustion (ibid). The alarm phase, in practice, is difficult to address as we are mostly subjected to external pressures beyond our control, meanwhile, the final exhaustion stage is beyond our physiological control, as it involves the depletion of our natural stores of serotonin: the natural neuronal chemical that makes us happy (ibid), but, the second resistance stage is one that lends itself to potential development in the plight to minimise clinical depression (phase three). The resistance phase is basically how we mentally deal with the stressful situation that has alarmed us in the first place (ibid). What we should be addressing in this phase is the point from which the individual breaks from the habitual mental patterning of dealing with the stress trigger. It is my belief that the design of nurturing healthy spaces can support the individuals’ endeavour to replace the habitual stress resolution process with a new personal mental construct, that can help them deal with their stresses in a better way.
Seeking help for depression starts with the individual (Bohm, 1996, p. 24). On the down side, this is often a difficult step as stress has become so much an accepted part of our society, therefore many people that have clinical depression do not feel that they need to seek professional help (Anwar, 2007). Another downside is that even though professional help is desired, there is a negative social stigma that confronts people with mental illnesses in seeking help (ibid). These two factors are valid inhibitors, but there is a bigger obstacle that faces the individual that is trying to reconcile their inner depressive state. David Bohm, American physicist, acknowledges in his book On Creativity, that the ability to learn something new is based on the general state of mind of the individual (Bohm, 1996. p.6) but the problem is that we have a tendency to think in a fragmentary way (Bohm, 1996, p.122). This fragmentation causes confusion, which often leads us back in the direction of our habitual responses to external pressures, rather than seeking new mental constructs to deal with them in less self destructive ways (ibid). Bohm also outlines that the means to learn new ways of thinking about things (i.e. stress triggers) is self-reflection. Similar to the line of thinking of Bohm, architect and theoretician Christopher Day (2004) also believes that self reflection, positive mental thinking, insight and skill followed by motivation can contribute to breaking the wall between habitual reactive thinking to a more creative evolutionary thinking and therefore promoting actions appropriate to a more healthy way of breaking the depression cycle (Day, 2004, p.81) What this ultimately means is that ‘mere’ thinking actually has more impact on how we respond to the world then what we generally acknowledge (ibid). It has a real function in perception, motivation, and action, which operates very persuasively in almost everything that we do (Bohm, 2004, p.83). Were self-reflection, positive thinking and motivation might be called upon as a primary function of a depression councillor; they also lends themselves to qualities that can be explored within the realm of nurturing spaces for people with depression.
Another way of looking at how nurturing spaces can positively benefit someone with depression is to look into the world of phenomenological thinking. The phenomenologist would say that the world and the mind are not separate, but interwoven and continuously defining each other. (Pallasmaa, 2001, p.214) The phenomenological environment thus either enables or excludes specific contents of the mind and so it is mentally positive or negative, supportive or inactive, rejective or pacifying (Pallasmaa, 2001, p.216). In this respect, the task of the architect and the therapist become very close to each other; whereas the therapist deals with a person’s external condition and tries to make his experiences and interpretations of his own life condition more favourable, the architect working in the same dimension, endeavours to make the spatial-material experiential horizon of life more positive (ibid) What this basically means is that the certain values that are promoted in the built structure for people are the same values that the people themselves should theoretically regard as valuable (Day, 2004, p.266). What this specifically means in consideration to nurturing spaces for people with depression is that the sensible organisation of the environment, the unconscious meanings and messages of the spaces, scale and the sensory and stimulative content, are of particular importance (Pallasmaa, 2001, p.218). Furthermore, to assist in the personalised treatment of depression, a nurturing environment should offer a person a safe homely place from which they can observe their world and self, harmonious and not imposed, self enriching stimuli, an experience of unrushed time, as well as experiences of nature and it’s cycles, and responsive to it’s surroundings (Day, 2004, p.20)
Japanese Zen culture can also contribute to the increased understanding of qualitative nurturing spaces for people with stress or depression. A key understanding in Zen religion is the importance of the mind, where it has been cited in the book Zen and Japanese Culture by David Suzuki (1996) that Zen involves clearing the mind of superficial stirrings of everyday life (p.191). Similar to the findings of Bohm, the Zen religion explains that if the ideas of man are confused, he will become the slave of exterior conditions (Suzuki, 1996, p.31). Traditionally the Zen Japanese had spaces to counteract this slavery; the Japanese tearoom offered the samurai a place for renewal of mental clarity for things with more value than mere fighting (Suzuki, 1996, p.289). The spirit of tea is aloneness, where primary focus is placed on introvertedness and self-reflectiveness (again synonymous with Bohm’s understanding and the phenomenological viewpoint in terms of mental evolution to external pressures). Harmony, reverence, tranquillity and purity are the four basic principles that govern the tearoom (ibid), and these qualities can also be explored further as valued contributions of nurturing spaces for people dealing with depression.
There are also contemporary architectural precedents in Western society that can contribute specifically to nurturing qualities assisting the healing process of people with depression. The UK based Maggies’ Centres are places for people with or affected by cancer. On visiting a Maggies’ centre based in London in October, 2008 the specific qualitative nurturing aspects of this space included; homeliness, warmness in materiality and colour as well as a central fireplace, differentiation in communal to private spaces for reflecting or conversing, seclusion from the busy traffic context, connection to nature, central self service kitchen for warm drinks and communal food preparation, strong allowances for natural daylight as well as spaces for various communal or individual activities such as library, massage rooms, art therapy room and private counselling rooms. The Maggies’ centre have gained much international recognition for their humanised approach for people dealing with cancer and therefore are an optimal inspiration for spaces that can address the healing process for people dealing with depression.
Depression is not discriminatory but it can be treated in better ways than what is the current protocol. The mental process that is commonly affiliated with the depressive cycle can be broken, if desired by the individual. Through self-reflection and motivation to change habitual mental patterning, any individual can learn new mental constructs to deal with depressive triggers. Qualitatitive spatial design can assist this healing process. Safe, homely, harmonious, self-enriching, places of unrushed time, contextually responsive, as well as nature orientated are crucial qualities for such places. Nurturing spaces have traditionally and contemporary prevailed in many cultures and can contribute significantly to the design process of nurturing places for people dealing with depression today, as well as opening new treatment pathways to other mental illnesses.
List of References
Anwar, Y. Stigma of mental illness explored, media release, 16.01.2007. UC Berkley, <>
Bohm, D. 1996. On Creativity. Routledge Classics, London & New York.
Day, C. 2004. Places of the Soul – Architecture and environmental design as a healing art, 2nd Edition, Architectural Press, Amsterdam
Honore, C. 2005. In Praise of Slow – How a worldwide movement is changing the cult of speed. Orion Books, London.
Nuckols, R, 2007. Physiologically, what causes a mental/nervous breakdown besides normal everyday stress? Science, Math, and Computer Science K-12 Educators Argonne National Laboratory Papers. United States of America.
Pallasmaa, J. 2001. The Mind of the Environment, Cited in Aesthetics, Well-being and Health – Essays within architecture and environmental aesthetics, Edited by Birgit Cole, Ashgate Publishers, England.
Suzuki, D. 1993. Zen and Japanese Culture, Mythos, USA
Maggies Centre, Charing Cross Hospital, Fulham Palace Road, Architect: Richard Rogers
People Research
Just as depression is a familiar concept to all of us in some time of our lives, so are the qualitatitive nurturing spaces that we individually seek to release this depressive anguish. Therefore, in the attempt to identify correlative aspects of different perspectives of nurturing spaces, design research into what people personally reflect as their nurturing space would prove imperative to any design process involving a public space that could positively affect ones depressive state. The people research that will be discussed in the following report involved ten participants, mixed gender, from six different nationalities and aged between 19 to 33 years. The research method that was utilised was conversational, where a basic outline of my thesis topic (How can the qualities of nurturing space have a positive affect on ones inner depressive state?) was explained followed by a question; Could you please tell me about the qualities of the space that you go to when you are felling stressed or sad?. Although there were quite personally different findings in the responses from all participants, were very strong underlying correlations from all participants. Escapism, homeliness, nature and reflection are the main themes reoccurring throughout all conversations. These four themes will be discussed further, using various examples in light of potential opportunities that arise for continuing future design developments.
Escapism was the guiding theme prevalent in all participant conversations. For the purpose of this report, escapism can be defined as: the physical, mental and/or sensorial separation/differentiation from the environment and/or stress trigger(s) causing mental anguish. There were two main modes of escapism surfacing (sometimes multiple times with examples of both) throughout all conversations: escapism within the home and escapism outside in nature. Both these modes of escapism (which is attained over a nominated period of time by the participants’) were also identified as a means to achieving ‘reflection’ and ‘clearing of the mind’ in all ten conversations. The design value in these findings is enormous. Utilising the above definition of escapism as an opening catalyst for a design brief would open many potential design opportunities for spaces that can affect our depressive state of minds.
To reiterate the perpetuating positive influence of mental, physical and/or sensorial separation on the mental state of the participants, This report will outline six clear examples: the shower qualities, the bath qualities, the bed and sofa qualities, the open fire qualities, the attic qualities, and the natural environment qualities. (Please note that the qualities that will be outlined in these following examples reoccurring conversation topics among many participants)
For one participant the shower was a symbol of physical separation from the workings of a shared house. The running water was a security alarm, warning others not to enter as well as ensuring the participant that they were alone. The water also acted like a warm blanket comforting the body and omitting a steam mist that diffused the light. The shower was a place for physical and sensorial dislocation where relaxation was a desired outcome and where” you and your thoughts could be alone”. For this participant when asked what they would do if they could make their bathroom more nurturing, the response was to add more natural light and natural materials like stone and wood (these were common qualities noted by many participants on their nurturing spaces). The sound and smell of the water were also key qualities, imperative to the relaxation process.
Similar to the escapism qualities of the shower, for another participant, the bath was also described as a space that “takes you away from stress”. Through self-isolation, turning off all lights and emerging yourself in water to a world of different acoustic sounds was this person’s way of “changing scenery from daily stresses”.
Four participants specifically referenced the nurturing qualities of the bed. One participant reminisced about hiding under the bed covers when they were a child and feeling that “nothing can touch you”, furthermore they described the reassuring feeling of being warm under the covers and listening to the rain beating against the window. Another participant spoke of their favourite place to be when stressed as their bed, where the warmth under the covers dislocated them from the sound outside their bedroom. The cocoon qualities of a sofa were explained by one participant, as being somewhat similar to the qualities of the bed. The sofa to them “reassures you and surrounds you” it was a place to “escape into” the soft fabrics enveloped your body and comfortably cradled you.
The qualities of a fireplace were very interesting, especially in the similarities that were observed from many participants as the qualities of watching television for relaxation. These qualities included: “helping you focus on something else” and “turning off”. But where the television lacks total sensorial dislocation, the fireplace supersedes. The smell, sound, warmth and pleasantly hypnotic qualities of the fireplace seem to offer a more fulfilling means of relaxation to the explanation of this participant.
The attic room was another interesting nurturing space express by one participant. The vertical dislocation from the rest of the house, pitched ceiling which accentuated the heightened location and especially visual connection to the sky through a skylight were key characteristics of this nurturing space. The smell of wood joinery, which made the participant feel like he “was at home” and the natural light filled quality of the space was also a noted characteristic contributing to the nurturing atmospheric quality of the space.
The qualities seen in escaping into nature were consistent among all participants. The qualities of nature seemed to address all three separation characteristics defining of escapism. Parks, forests, beaches and riversides were the main natural preferred environments. The sounds of branches in the wind, birds singing, water running and separation from daily noise were consistent qualities observed in the findings. Contact with fresh cold air and trees, isolation from society and the vantage points of being able to climb into trees and “see everything passing by but you are not apart of it” are some of the responses that were attributed to being able to “clear your mind”.
Although, there seems to be a clear correlation between the participants’ personal experiences of nurturing spaces in relation to stressful environments/triggers, undeniably the task of the designer to manifest tangible design solutions from a direct translation of the personal perspectives of ten participants would be too raw. Rather, what would seem more fruitful would be to explore the main concepts that are underlying these findings. Escapism, both: within the home and outside into nature, reflection and the various qualities that are expressed in the examples, such as: security, aloneness, natural light and materials, water, warmth, cocooning and relaxation are all aspects that can lend themselves to further design development of communal nurturing spaces that can positively affect one’s depressive state.
Mindmap/Further Development
My design research has lead me in the direction of exploring nurturing spaces under the umbrella of a relaxation center: where people can escape to for either counseling or just time out for reflection.The following mindmap indicates the further development of my research project: thesis and spatial design. There are six main areas of consideration for looking at nurturing spaces for people with or affected by depression. These six aspects should organically feed the design process in a wholistic way for designing the best possible retreat for people that I can creatively achieve. The first aspect is continuing Design Research and Thesis research for my project. 
Secondly, I would like to continue my people research.
I have selected a few architectural inspirations that I would like to visit, to gain a wider design research influence base.
The brief parameters are: kitchen, eating area, variety of sitting areas: both public and private, communal or secluded, outdoor sitting spaces, workshop/storage, art therapy room, massage rooms, administration, library and sauna and float pool.
I feel that it is imperative to decide on a site and explore it fully. the site that I have chosen is a woodland area in the Eindhoven central zone. It contains two small bodies of water, easy bike access for city dwellers and some cleared landscape areas.
And finally my design creativity will be explored not only though the above but, also through model making and sketching.
Secondly, I would like to continue my people research.
I have selected a few architectural inspirations that I would like to visit, to gain a wider design research influence base.
The brief parameters are: kitchen, eating area, variety of sitting areas: both public and private, communal or secluded, outdoor sitting spaces, workshop/storage, art therapy room, massage rooms, administration, library and sauna and float pool.
I feel that it is imperative to decide on a site and explore it fully. the site that I have chosen is a woodland area in the Eindhoven central zone. It contains two small bodies of water, easy bike access for city dwellers and some cleared landscape areas.
And finally my design creativity will be explored not only though the above but, also through model making and sketching.
